Homo sapiens' finger bone of 85,000 years ago is found in Saudi Arabia

weHomo sapiensIt is said that there is origin in Africa, but a bone of Homo sapiens' finger of about 85,000 years ago was newly found in Saudi Arabia. By this, it is clear that ancient human beings jumped out of Africa and advanced to the Arabian peninsula before 85,000 years ago.

Homo sapiens in Arabia by 85,000 years ago | Nature Ecology & amp; Evolution
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-018-0518-2

Rare 85,000-year-old Finger Bone Complicates Our Understanding of African Migration | Science | Smithsonian
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/rare-85000-year-old-finger-bone-could-complicate-our-understanding-african-migration-180968720/

For many years archaeologist Hugh Grocutt and the research team have been excavating work in the Saudi Arabian desert. In 2014 I began to excavate bone fossils in the administrative district of Usta, and in the next two years I found over 800 animal bone fossils and nearly 400 stone artifacts. And among them, the excavation team has discovered what seems to be "the bone of Homo sapiens middle finger", which attracts attention from many archaeologists.

What was discovered is an anatomically finger bone with a structure similar to that of a modern human being, but this seems to be at least over 85,000 years ago. Mr. Grocut said, "This is strange, almost none of the bones are left, and there is nothing special in the bones that remained as fossils, so it is really true that finger bones remain as fossils It was a lucky thing. "


A newly discovered finger bone of 85,000 years ago was discovered as well as the state of Kentucky in the United StatesNehud DesertIt was about that, "Fortunately there was bone" and "Lucky to dig a small bone with a vast land" overlapped, leading to this discovery.

And why is the finger bone of 85,000 years ago attracting the attention of many archaeologists, this fossil is the oldest bone of Homo sapiens found in areas other than Africa It seems to be because it becomes. Archaeologist Mikael Petraglia, co-author of the study at a press conference, said, "The bone of this finger is the same as the bone found in the past few years and Homo sapiens has been in the past 100,000 years It shows that I have moved many times from Africa. "


As the origin of Homo sapiens "African single origin theory"When"Multiple region evolution theory"Although the two hypotheses of" hypothesis "were conflicting for many years, now African single origin theory is mainstream. Based on this African single origin theory as a doubt emerges, "How did Homo sapiens leave Africa?" In the past decade several geneticists have been advocating the hypothesis that part of Homo sapiens had moved from Africa about 60,000 years ago from the bones found far from Africa.

However, what seems to be the bone of Homo sapiens has been discovered in the land other than Africa, and in January 2018 the fossil found in 2002 in Israel is that of Homo sapiens It has been announced.

Fossils of the oldest present-day human beings other than Africa Change traditional theory - BBC News


In addition, the bone of the finger of Homo sapiens newly found in Saudi Arabia, the ancient Homo sapiensLevantSuggesting that we have been moving beyond the Arabian peninsula beyond.

The research team is experimenting with "uranium series dating method" which is one of dating methods in order to find out how many years ago the bones of fingers found were. this isRadiocarbon datingAs in the case of fossils stored in substancesRadioactive decayTo investigate. Also, the age of sediment around the bones,Photostimulated luminescenceIt has been examined using.

Still doubt still remains. For example, how the Homo sapiens have survived in the desert about 100,000 years ago. One possibility is that the "Nehud desert at the time was not a desert". The Nephud Desert is now one of the deserts of sand and rock, but at that time it may have been a savanna covered with lakes and rivers thanks to the summer monsoon. It is evidence that the bones of wild animals such as cattle were excavated in large quantities along with the bone of Homo sapiens' finger that was discovered this time in 85,000 years.

"It seems obvious that Homo sapiens moved from the Middle East to Arabia, East Asia was due to the help of rain," said Rick Potts, a paleontologist at the Smithsonian Institute Mr. The discovery of Homo sapiens fingers in Saudi Arabia located in the Arabian Peninsula states that the Arabian Peninsula at the time was a green full of lands suitable for human beings to live.

Mr. Grocut hopes that more research will be carried out in areas where we have not paid much attention to human evolution with this discovery.