Posted on 12/20/2015 12:39:43 PM PST by SeekAndFind
A 14,000-year-old thigh bone may upend human history.
Unearthed in southwest China, this femur resembles those of an ancient species of humans thought to be long extinct by the Late Pleistocene, scientists say. The scientists compare the leg bone to ancient and modern human femurs in a paper published Thursday in the journal PLOS ONE, arguing that this specimen represents a population of ancient humans that lived surprisingly recently.
If they're right, this could dramatically change the way we see human history.
Today, our species, Homo sapiens, are the only humans to walk the Earth. But it hasn't always been that way.
At times, ancient human species, like Neanderthals, Denisovans, H. erectus, and H. habilis, overlapped. Some even intermingled with our own species, as Denisovan genes show up in some modern humans living today.
Scientists thought that the last time there was more than one species of human on Earth was tens of thousands of years ago. One of our closest cousins, Neanderthals, for example, are thought to have died out about 40,000 years ago.
"Until now, it was thought that archaic humans on mainland Asia had survived no later than around 100,000 years ago," study author Darren Curnoe tells the Monitor in an email. "So, to find a human bone that resembles very ancient humans that is only around 14,000 years old is a real surprise."
"Now, it is only one bone, so we need to be a bit careful," Dr. Curnoe says. But if it does represent these ancient humans, "there must also have been overlap in time between archaic and modern humans for tens of thousands of years in Southwest China."
(Excerpt) Read more at csmonitor.com ...
*ping*
Was it connected to anything?
Helenthomasis Horribulus
Thigh bone connected to the leg bone ?
Did it belong to an honest, patriotic politician?
“Did it belong to an honest, patriotic politician? “
Honest? Yes, to the extent that
when he’s bought, he stays bought.
Sasquatch???
Sasquatch??? In China???
Well, in the timeline of Humans, 14000 years sounds pretty contemporary.
“If they’re right, this could dramatically change the way we see human history....”
It is almost certain that the level of certitude in this announcement was just as authoritarian and credible as when the previous(now clearly incorrect) way we saw human history was announced.
Pitldown.
Indeed. I thought the science was settled....
never forget that you’re reading what a journalism major “thought” the scientists said.
[[as when the previous(now clearly incorrect) way we saw human history was announced.]]
Yeah but this is the really really correct way we see human history now (until a really really really correct view comes along)
Well I hope that a new species of Humans is right around the corner because without divine intervention then this one is about to go Extinct.
i was going to ping you, but fieldmarsal beat me to it.
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