Nesher Ramla Homo sapiens, an ancient human group discovered in Israel, sheds light on the complex intermingling of Eurasian and African people 140,000 years ago, changing perceptions of the origins of Neanderthals. Researchers have discovered a previously unknown group of ancient humans named "Nesher Ramla Homo" at a newly excavated site in Israel.

This group dates back to about 140,000 to 120,000 years ago and appears to be the last survivors of mid-Pleistocene Homo sapiens. They display a unique blend of Neanderthal and hominin traits and technologies.

Neanderthals have long been thought to have originated and thrived on the European continent long before the arrival of modern humans. However, recent evidence suggests that an as-yet-unknown non-European group also contributed its genes, suggesting a long and dynamic history of interactions between Eurasian and African populations.

Interaction between Eurasians and Africans

Here, Israel Hershkovitz, Yossi Zaidner and colleagues present fossil, artifact and radiometric evidence from the Levant region of the Middle East that illustrates this complexity. According to research by Hershkovitz et al., the anatomical characteristics of the newly discovered Homo sapiens Nesher Ramla are older than those of contemporary Eurasian Neanderthals and modern humans who also lived in the Levant.

The findings suggest that this ancient species may represent one of the last surviving mid-Pleistocene Homo sapiens populations in southwestern Asia, Africa and Europe.

Archaeological background and cultural interaction

In a companion study, Zaidner et al. present the archaeological context of the new fossils, reporting associated radiometric ages, artifact assemblages, and behavioral and environmental insights they provide. Researchers show that Nesher Ramla sapiens mastered technologies previously only mastered by sapiens and Neanderthals. Together, these findings provide archaeological support for the close cultural interaction and genetic mixing between different human races 120,000 years ago. This may help explain the different expressions of dental and skeletal features in later Levantine fossils.

Paleoanthropologists will have mixed reactions to the interpretation of the Nesher Ramla fossils and stone tools. "Nonetheless, the mismatch in age, morphology, and archaeological affinities of the Nesheramla material, as well as the site's location at the intersection of Africa and Eurasia, make it a significant discovery," Marta Lahr writes in the accompanying Perspective.

References:

DOI:10.1126/science.abh3169

DOI:10.1126/science.abh3020

Compiled source: ScitechDaily