Swiss scientists are claiming that the discovery of a 1.8 million year old skull has rewritten the current perception of how modern man evolved from the early ancestors in Africa.
The skull which was found in Georgia, named Skull 5, suggests that all Homo species were once one.
Research is now suggesting that the early members of the Homo genus, including Homo habilis, Homo rudolfensis and Homo erectus all belonged to the same species, and simply looked a little different to each other.
Scientists from the Anthropological Institute and Museum in Zurich state that Skull 5 indicates that a single Homo species emerged from Africa approximately 2 million years ago, which was able to handle multiple varieties of eco systems.
Christoph Zollikofer from the Swiss museum said: ‘Had the braincase and the face of Skull 5 been found as separate fossils at different sites in Africa, they might have been attributed to different species.
‘That’s because Skull 5 unites some key features, like the tiny braincase and large face, which had not been observed together in an early Homo fossil until now.’
Check out the intriguing article here at The Daily Mail, along with many pictures and video.
