Our Ancestor Homo Erectus Is 200,000 Years Older Than Previously Thought

A fossil that sat exposed at a cave site for eight years upends human family tree.

By Bridget Alex
Dec 15, 2020 6:00 PM
unearth4
This fragment of a Homo erectus cranium was almost overlooked by researchers. (Credit: Andy Herries, Jesse Martin and Renaud Joannes-Boyau)

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This article appeared in Discover’s annual state of science issue as “Nope, This Skull Was No Baboon” Support our science journalism by becoming a subscriber.

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