At the Atapuerca archaeological site in Burgos, Spain, the oldest human in Western Europe was discovered for the third time, breaking its own record.
The first time this happened was in 1994, when the remains of a new human species were unearthed at the Gran Dolina site.
The fossils dated back around 900,000 years ago, challenging the idea that the earliest humans in Western Europe were no more than half a million years old. The species from Gran Dolina, named Homo antecessor, had a flat face similar to that of Homo sapiens.
Then, in 2007, the oldest human in Europe was found once again. This time, it was a human jawbone in the Sima del Elefante (Pit of the Elephant), which is near the Gran Dolina.
It dated back to approximately 1.2 million years ago. The jawbone was vertical and more slender compared to those of modern hominids.
Researchers were unable to assign the fossil to any species due to its poor condition. So, it was classified as Homo sp.
Finally, in 2022, the left half of a hominid face was uncovered at the Sima del Elefante site. It was located beneath the level where the jawbone was found, meaning that it was even older.
A team from the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES) and the National Center for the Investigation of Human Evolution (CENIEH) spent the next two years analyzing and restoring the fossil. They used traditional methods and advanced imaging techniques to study the fossil in a non-invasive way.
The new fossil was nicknamed "Pink," in reference to Pink Floyd's album The Dark Side of the Moon. In Spanish, the album title translates to "hidden face of the moon."
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Pink does not belong to the species Homo antecessor. It was dated back between 1.1 and 1.4 million years old.
The facial area protrudes forward more than the Gran Dolina hominids. Furthermore, Pink's nose area was believed to have been flattened and sunken in a similar way to Homo erectus, but it also had a narrower and shorter face shape.
So, Pink was classified as Homo affinis erectus. It recognizes similarities to Homo erectus, as well as the possibility that it may belong to another species.
In addition, the researchers analyzed small stone tools and animal bones at the excavation site to learn more about how Pink lived.
At the time, the environment was a humid forest landscape. The early human population lived among hippos, horses, ancient cattle, and monkeys. The area also had plenty of water.
It is likely that the species disappeared during a major global cooling event that occurred about 900,000 years ago. Research at the excavation site is ongoing.