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8.7-Million-Year-Old Fossil Suggests Ancestors of Humans and African Apes Evolved in Europe

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Summary

A newly unearthed 8.7 million year-old fossil of an ape species, Anadoluvius turkae, suggests that the ancestors of humans and African apes evolved in Europe. The partial skull found at Corakyerler in central Anatolia, Turkiye, was well-preserved and allowed researchers to analyze its evolutionary relationships. Ayla Sevim-Erol, a researcher at Ankara University, suggested the environment of the ape was most similar to the environment of early humans in Africa. The animals that lived alongside Anadoluvius turkae are typically found in African grasslands and dry forests today. The research implies that the ancestors of humans and African apes may have dispersed from the eastern Mediterranean into Africa around 8 million years ago. The findings are published in Communications Biology.

Q&As

What is the traditional view on the origin of hominines and hominins?
The traditional view, ever since Charles Darwin, holds that hominines and hominins (humans and fossil relatives) originate in Africa, where the earliest hominins are found and where all living non-human hominines live.

What is the significance of the partial skull of Anadoluvius turkae?
The partial skull of Anadoluvius turkae includes most of the facial structure and the front part of the brain case, which allowed the researchers to do a broader and more detailed analysis.

What type of environment and dietary habits have been suggested for Anadoluvius turkae?
Anadoluvius turkae probably lived in relatively open conditions, unlike the forest settings of living great apes. Its powerful jaws and large, thickly enameled teeth suggest a diet including hard or tough food items from terrestrial sources such as roots and rhizomes.

What are the findings of the research team regarding the evolutionary tree of African apes and humans?
The findings establish Anadoluvius turkae as a branch of the part of the evolutionary tree that gave rise to chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas and humans. The research team's analysis also suggests that the Balkan and Anatolian apes evolved from ancestors in western and central Europe.

What is the evidence for the hypothesis that hominines originated in Europe?
The new fossils are the best-preserved specimens of this group of early hominines and provide the strongest evidence to date that the group originated in Europe and later dispersed into Africa. The research also shows that the ecological community appears to have dispersed into Africa from the eastern Mediterranean sometime after about 8 million years ago.

AI Comments

👍 This groundbreaking article provides compelling evidence that human and African ape ancestors evolved in Europe, which is contrary to the traditional view that they originated in Africa. The well-preserved fossil of Anadoluvius turkae and the detailed analysis provided by the authors are a remarkable contribution to the field of paleoanthropology.

👎 This article provides only circumstantial evidence for the hypothesis that hominines originated in Europe, as the fossil record needed to definitively prove this theory is still lacking. Additionally, the authors fail to acknowledge other theories which propose an African origin for hominines.

AI Discussion

Me: It's about a 8.7 million year old fossil found in Turkiye that suggests the ancestors of humans and African apes evolved in Europe.

Friend: Wow! That's really interesting. What are the implications of the findings?

Me: Well, the findings suggest that the hominines and hominins originated in Europe and then dispersed to Africa, rather than originating in Africa and then migrating to Europe. This contradicts the traditional view that Charles Darwin proposed that hominines and hominins originated in Africa. Additionally, the research provides evidence that the Balkan and Anatolian apes evolved from ancestors in western and central Europe. So, the research provides evidence that these other apes were also hominines and that the whole group evolved and diversified in Europe, rather than separate branches of apes moving independently into Europe from Africa over the course of several million years.

Action items

Research other fossil sites in Europe and Africa to look for evidence of hominines between 8 and 7 million years ago.
Analyze the data from the fossil sites to determine if there is a definitive connection between the European and African hominines.
Develop a comprehensive timeline of the evolution of hominines in Europe and Africa to better understand the origins of humans and African apes.

Technical terms

Miocene-period: A geological period of the Neogene, lasting from about 23 to 5.3 million years ago.
Hominines: A group of primates that includes humans and their fossil relatives.
Hominins: Humans and their fossil relatives.
Paleoanthropology: The study of human evolution and prehistory through the analysis of fossil remains.
Graecopithecus freybergi: A species of fossil ape that lived 7.2 million years ago in the Athens Basin.
Anadoluvius turkae: A species of fossil ape that lived 8.7 million years ago in central Anatolia, Turkiye.
Corakyerler: A paleontological site in central Anatolia, Turkiye, where the fossilized remains of Anadoluvius turkae were unearthed.
Communications Biology: A scientific journal in which the findings of the research were published.