Researchers: Ancient human remains found in Israel

[Joe McCarthy]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101227/..._ancient_teeth

By DANIEL ESTRIN, Associated Press Daniel Estrin, Associated Press – Mon Dec 27, 6:13 pm ET
JERUSALEM –
Israeli archaeologists said Monday they may have found the earliest evidence yet for the existence of modern man, and if so, it could upset theories of the origin of humans.

A Tel Aviv University team excavating a cave in central Israel said teeth found in the cave are about 400,000 years old and resemble those of other remains of modern man, known scientifically as Homo sapiens, found in Israel. The earliest Homo sapiens remains found until now are half as old.

"It's very exciting to come to this conclusion," said archaeologist Avi Gopher, whose team examined the teeth with X-rays and CT scans and dated them according to the layers of earth where they were found.

He stressed that further research is needed to solidify the claim. If it does, he says, "this changes the whole picture of evolution."

[Related: Chinese archaeologists discover 2,400 year old soup]

The accepted scientific theory is that Homo sapiens originated in Africa and migrated out of the continent. Gopher said if the remains are definitively linked to modern human's ancestors, it could mean that modern man in fact originated in what is now Israel.

Sir Paul Mellars, a prehistory expert at Cambridge University, said the study is reputable, and the find is "important" because remains from that critical time period are scarce, but it is premature to say the remains are human.

"Based on the evidence they've cited, it's a very tenuous and frankly rather remote possibility," Mellars said. He said the remains are more likely related to modern man's ancient relatives, the Neanderthals.

According to today's accepted scientific theories, modern humans and Neanderthals stemmed from a common ancestor who lived in Africa about 700,000 years ago. One group of descendants migrated to Europe and developed into Neanderthals, later becoming extinct. Another group stayed in Africa and evolved into Homo sapiens — modern humans.

[Related: Ancient human relative roamed all of Asia]

Teeth are often unreliable indicators of origin, and analyses of skull remains would more definitively identify the species found in the Israeli cave, Mellars said.

Gopher, the Israeli archaeologist, said he is confident his team will find skulls and bones as they continue their dig.

The prehistoric Qesem cave was discovered in 2000, and excavations began in 2004. Researchers Gopher, Ran Barkai and Israel Hershkowitz published their study in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology.

[Savant]

A newly published report reveals that recently discovered human remains in a cave in central Israel may be the earliest evidence for the existence of modern man.


View Full Image
(Photo: AP Images / Oded Balilty)
Professor Avi Gopher from the Institute of Archeology of Tel Aviv University holds an ancient tooth that was found at an archeological site near Rosh Haain, central Israel, Monday, Dec. 27, 2010.


Archaeologists from Tel Aviv University found eight teeth in Qesem Cave. The team said the discovery challenges theories of the origin of humans.

Avi Gopher, who led the team, told Agence France-Presse that it calls into question the widely held view that modern humans originated in Africa.

Until now, the earliest remains of modern man, or Homo sapiens, were 200,000 years old and found in East Africa.

The teeth found in Israel are about 400,000 years old.

"It's very exciting to come to this conclusion," Gopher said, as reported by The Associated Press. "This changes the whole picture of evolution."

The teeth were found in 2006 in deep layers of the Qesem cave. The findings were just published this month in the "American Journal of Physical Anthropology."

Though some speculate that the remains are likely related to the now extinct Neanderthals, the report in the journal states that none of the Qesem teeth "shows a suite of Neanderthal characters," though "a few traits may suggest some affinities with members of the Neanderthal evolutionary lineage."

"However, the balance of the evidence suggests a closer similarity with the Skhul/Qafzeh dental material," the report states. Skhul and Qafzeh are sites in Israel where fossils of early modern Homo sapiens were found.

Gopher's team is continuing their dig at the cave. Gopher is confident they will find skulls and bones that could confirm that the teeth are the remains of modern man.

http://www.christianpost.com/article...ins-in-israel/

[Savant]

I didn't notice the post. I posted it earlier in Sci/Nature forum. I guess I should just ignore that forum,since people only read a small handful of forums I should post in those. Anyhow, this could challenge the "out of Africa" theory which is en vogue now.

Now I'm just waiting on people to come start "naming the jew" and tell us how this is a zionist conspiracy.

[Loddfafner]

I didn't notice the post. I posted it earlier in Sci/Nature forum. I guess I should just ignore that forum,since people only read a small handful of forums I should post in those. Anyhow, this could challenge the "out of Africa" theory which is en vogue now.

Now I'm just waiting on people to come start "naming the jew" and tell us how this is a zionist conspiracy.

Threads now merged. Savant's version is the first publication and is also in the optimal location.