Neanderthals ‘kept our early ancestors out of Europe’
by Robin McKie from on (#QSD3)
Ancient teeth found in China suggest Homo sapiens was outwitted by its rivals
The discovery of a hoard of ancient human teeth in a Chinese cave has forced scientists to reconsider our species' relations with our closest evolutionary cousins, the Neanderthals. The find, revealed in the science journal Nature, shows modern humans must have left their African homeland and reached southern China more than 80,000 years ago.
This unexpectedly early date contrasts with our ancestors' far more recent arrival in Europe - about 45,000 years ago - and suggests Homo sapiens was prevented, for some reason, from moving there for tens of thousands of years. Anthropologist Maria Martinon-Torres, from University College London - a member of the team that made the discovery - is confident of the reason. She blames the Neanderthals.
Continue reading...