New type of early human found in Israel

Bones belonging to a "new type of early human" previously unknown to science have been found in Israel.

Excavations in the quarry of a cement plant near the city of Ramla uncovered the approximately 130,000 year old remains.

Scientists were surprised that the newly discovered species would have overlapped with Homo sapiens, the ancestors of modern humans.

Dr Hila May, a researcher at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine, immediately recognised the find for what it was.

Dr Hila May: "However, when we looked at these bones, we immediately saw that it's about a different type of human. It's not Homo sapien, Homo sapiens. The skull - the fragment of the skull - indicated a very low skull and flat, not like us that is rounded and tall, and the mandible had no chin. And we know the chin is something that only we have, the Homo sapiens. So, we immediately know, understood that we have something else. And the question was what it is."

The unique characteristics of the remains including the lack of a chin suggest that these humans were probably a relative of the Neanderthals that lived in Europe.

Dr Hila May: "But what, what we have found is that the "Nesher Ramla Homo type" is actually the population source of the Neanderthals and - which migrated from here to Europe."

The discovery has led to the Israeli researchers claiming that the origins of Neanderthals lie in the Middle East rather than Europe, challenging the accepted theory of human development.

Other geneticists are sceptical. Whilst the existence of a Neanderthal-like population is not disputed, they believe additional studies need to be done.

The team in Israel believe, however, that they may have found the missing link.

View Less