Author Topic: What We Learned About Our Human Origins in 2018  (Read 693 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

rangerrebew

  • Guest
What We Learned About Our Human Origins in 2018
« on: December 29, 2018, 04:31:17 pm »
What We Learned About Our Human Origins in 2018

From an upper jaw to red ocher paintings, two Smithsonian scholars note the significant discoveries in human evolution this trip around the sun
 
By Ella Beaudoin and Briana Pobiner, PLOS SciComm blog
 
December 28, 2018 2:47PM
 

What does it mean to be human? What makes us unique among all other organisms on Earth? Is it cooperation? Conflict? Creativity? Cognition? There happens to be one anatomical feature that distinguishes modern humans (Homo sapiens) from every other living and extinct animal: our bony chin. But does a feature of our jaws have actual meaning for our humanity? The top six discoveries of 2018, all from the last 500,000 years of human evolution, give us even more insight into what it means to be human. And by the way, should you want to learn more about our favorite discoveries from last year, check out our 2017 list.
Migrating Modern Humans: the oldest modern human fossil found outside of Africa

Every person alive on the planet today is a Homo sapiens. Our species evolved around 300,000 years ago in Africa. In January of this year, a team of archaeologists led by Israel Hershkovitz from Tel Aviv University made a stunning discovery at a site on the western slope of Mount Carmel in Israel—Misliya Cave. This site had previously yielded flint artifacts dated to between 140,000 and 250,000 years ago, and the assumption was that these tools were made by Neanderthals which had also occupied Israel at this time.

Read more: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/what-we-learned-about-our-human-origins-2018-180971129/#VD27lxRgim20pM0i.99