A recent discovery in Türkiye is shaking up our understanding of human evolution. Scientists have identified a new fossil ape, Anadoluvius turkae, from an 8.7-million-year-old site near Çankırı.
This find challenges the long-held belief that human ancestors evolved solely in Africa, suggesting instead that Europe played a important role in our evolutionary history.
These apes are part of the earliest known group of hominins, which includes not only African apes like chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas but also humans and thier fossil ancestors.
Out of Africa? Maybe not
This discovery adds weight to the theory that the ancestors of African apes and humans may have evolved in Europe before migrating to Africa between nine and seven million years ago.
Professor David Begun from the University of Toronto and Professor Ayla Sevim Erol from Ankara University led the international team of researchers who conducted the study.
“Our findings further suggest that hominines not only evolved in western and central Europe but spent over five million years evolving there and spreading to the eastern Mediterranean before eventually dispersing into Africa, probably as a consequence of changing environments and diminishing forests,” explained professor Begun.
“The members of this radiation to which Anadoluvius turkae belongs are currently only identified in Europe and Anatolia.”
Partial skull of Anadoluvius turkae
The conclusion drawn from the study is based on the analysis of a well-preserved partial cranium discovered in 2015.
This fossil includes most of the facial structure and the front part of the braincase, providing valuable insights into the ape’s anatomy.
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alt="A new face and partial brain case of Anadoluvius turkae, a fossil hominine—the group that includes african apes and humans—from the Çorakyerler fossil site located in Central Anatolia, Türkiye."
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“The completeness of the fossil allowed us to do a broader and more detailed analysis using manny characters and attributes that are coded into a program designed to calculate evolutionary relationships,” Begun explained.
“The face is mostly complete, after applying mirror imaging. The new part is the forehead, with bone preserved to about the crown of the cranium. Previously described fossils do not have this much of the brain case.”
Life of Anadoluvius turkae
Anadoluvius was roughly the size of a large male chimpanzee, weighing between 50-60 kilograms. This size is notably large for a chimp and is comparable to the average size of a female gorilla, which weighs around 75-80 kilograms.
“More like what we think the environments of early humans in Africa were like. The powerful jaws and large,thickly enameled teeth suggest a diet including hard or tough food items from terrestrial sources such as roots and rhizomes.”
Sharing Earth with Anadoluvius turkae
The ecosystem in which Anadoluvius lived was similar to today’s African grasslands and dry forests. It coexisted with animals such as giraffes, warthogs, rhinos, diverse antelopes, zebras, elephants, porcupines, hyenas, and lion-like carnivores.
Research indicates that this ecological community likely dispersed into Africa from the eastern Mediterranean sometime after eight million years ago.
“The founding of the modern African open country fauna from the eastern Mediterranean has long been known and now we can add to the list of entrants the ancestors of the African apes and humans,” Erol added.
Why is this a big deal?
Anadoluvius turkae is positioned on the evolutionary tree alongside other fossil apes from nearby regions, such as Ouranopithecus from Greece and Graecopithecus from Bulgaria.
These fossils are the best-preserved specimens of early hominins and offer the strongest evidence to date that this group originated in Europe before moving into Africa.
The study’s detailed analysis shows that Balkan and Anatolian apes evolved from ancestors in western and central Europe.
This suggests that the entire group of hominins likely evolved and diversified in Europe, rather than separate branches moving independently into Europe from Africa over millions of years and then going extinct.
“there is no evidence of the latter,though it remains a favorite proposal among those who do not accept a european origin hypothesis,” Begun noted.
“These findings contrast with the long-held view that African apes and humans evolved exclusively in Africa. While the remains of early hom
While the discovery of Anadoluvius turkae provides compelling evidence for a European origin of hominines, it does not definitively prove the theory.
More fossils from Europe and Africa, dating between eight and seven million years old, are needed to establish a clear connection between the two regions.
This new evidence supports the hypothesis that hominins originated in Europe and dispersed into Africa along with many other mammals between nine and seven million years ago, though it does not definitively prove it.
“For that,we need to find more fossils from Europe and Africa between eight and seven million years old to establish a definitive connection between the two groups,” Begun concluded.
To sum it all up, if hominines did indeed originate in Europe, it could reshape our understanding of how and where humans evolved.
It also highlights the importance of fossil sites outside of Africa, which have been underexplored in the quest to trace human origins.
Anadoluvius turkae adds a new species to the fossil record while providing a fresh viewpoint on the evolutionary journey of hominins.
By bridging the gap between European and African fossil records, this discovery encourages scientists to revisit existing theories and consider new possibilities in the story of human origins.
As researchers continue to analyse the fossil and search for more evidence,the story of Anadoluvius turkae will undoubtedly play a pivotal role in shaping our understanding of where we come from and how we evolved.
The study is published in the journal Communications Biology.
To further explore the implications of this groundbreaking discovery, we invited a panel of experts.
Moderator: “What does this discovery mean for our understanding of human evolution?”
Dr. Patel: “This really shifts the focus from Africa as the sole cradle of humanity. We now need to reconsider migration routes and adaptive strategies in Europe.”
Dr. Jensen: “Absolutely. The idea that Africa was the starting point for hominines is deeply rooted. We must look at Europe more closely in our investigations.”
Dr. Lee: ”This also opens up new avenues for research in ancient environments, perhaps leading to further findings that could reshape our tree of life.”
Moderator: “What challenges might researchers face moving forward?”
Dr. patel: “One challenge will be finding additional fossils in Europe and establishing timelines that can link these findings to those in Africa. ItS a complex puzzle that requires interdisciplinary collaboration.”
Call to Action
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How does the revelation of Anadoluvius turkae redefine our understanding of human ancestry?
The recent discovery of Anadoluvius turkae in Türkiye marks a significant growth in our understanding of hominin evolution. this 8.7-million-year-old fossil ape challenges the traditional “Out of Africa” model of human ancestry, suggesting that Europe may have played a crucial role in the evolution of both humans and other great apes.
Key Findings from the Discovery:
- New Perspective on Hominin Evolution:
- Anadoluvius turkae, discovered near Çankırı, indicates that the earliest ancestors of hominins, which include modern humans and African apes, may have evolved in Europe before migrating to Africa.
– This contradicts the long-standing belief that human evolution was strictly an African affair.
- Research Team and Methodology:
– The study was led by Professor David Begun from the University of Toronto and Professor Ayla Sevim Erol from Ankara University, who utilized advanced imaging techniques to analyze the fossil remains comprehensively.
– The well-preserved skull provided crucial insight into the anatomy, revealing features that align with those of early hominins.
- Anatomical Insights:
– The fossil includes a largely intact facial structure and the anterior braincase, with preserved areas of the forehead and the upper cranium not seen in previously identified specimens.
– Anadoluvius turkae’s robust jaw and large enamel-coated teeth suggest a diet that included tough, terrestrial food sources, similar to those encountered by early humans in Africa.
- Ecosystem Context:
– Anadoluvius lived in a habitat resembling modern African grasslands and dry forests,coexisting with a diverse range of fauna,including giraffes,rhinoceroses,and proto-carnivorous species.
- This ecosystem illustrates the kind of surroundings from which modern African species eventually emerged,hinting at a complex dispersal pattern from the eastern Mediterranean to Africa.
- Evolutionary Implications:
– The findings imply that the ancestors of modern African apes and humans may have spent a considerable amount of time evolving in Europe (over five million years) before transitioning into Africa.
– The evolutionary history of hominins had likely been localized to western and central Europe, undermining earlier models that depicted self-reliant branches migrating separately into Europe from Africa.
Importance of the Discovery:
The study surrounding Anadoluvius turkae not only adds a vital piece to the puzzle of human ancestry but also reframes our understanding of the geographical context of hominin evolution. It challenges the previously held notion of a singular evolutionary pathway originating solely in Africa,paving the way for further research into the role of Europe in the ancestral lineage of modern humans and their relatives. This discovery opens new avenues for understanding the evolutionary processes that shaped our species and those closely related to us.