Published in the journal Nature, and involving a Monash University researcher, an international team has discovered the oldest known facial bones from a human fossil from Europe, approximately 1.4–1.1 million years old.
The Monash University researcher involved in the discovery is available to talk about what this finding means and her contributions.
Available to comment:
Dr Laura Martín-Francés, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute
Contact details: +61 3 9903 4840 or [email protected]
- Paleoanthropologist specialising in virtual dental anthropology
The following can be attributed to Dr Martín-Francés:
“The hominin remains recovered from Atapuerca-Sima del Elefante (Spain), dated between 1.4 and 1.1 million years ago, provide evidence for the presence of at least two hominin species during the early Pleistocene in Europe.
“This discovery opens new avenues for understanding the origins and population dynamics of the earliest human settlements in Western Europe.
“This finding is crucial for ensuring the continuation of research on the origins and evolution of our genus, Homo.
“The study also incorporated data on fauna, lithics and environmental conditions. Beyond determining the taxonomic affiliation of the hominin remains, it’s crucial to contextualise the population's settlement during the Early Pleistocene, particularly since there are two species present in Atapuerca from this period.
“My contributions included the 3D reconstruction of dental remains and facial bones, along with morphological analysis.”
*First author of the paper: Professor Rosa Huguet, researcher at IPHES-CERCA and professor at Rovira i Virgili University.
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