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The partial jawbone from a human ancestor nicknamed Pink is helping rewrite the history of hominin migration into Western Europe. Researchers believe that Pink represents the oldest archaic fossils ever found in this region, according to a study published in Nature on March 12. The exciting fossils also indicate that at least two subspecies lived in the region during the Early Pleistocene, roughly 1.4 to 1.1 million years ago. While experts havent confirmed Pinks exact hominin species just yet, they may belong to our famous evolutionary relative, Homo erectus.Hominins began migrating into Eurasia at least 1.8 million years ago, but the first to do so remains unclear. Paleoarcheologists previously matched a set of roughly 850,000-year-old fossils in Spain to Homo antecessor, an early human subspecies that displayed thinner facial features similar to modern Homo sapiens. However, a 1.2 to 1.1-million-year-old hominin jawbone discovered in 2007 at the countrys Sima del Elefante site has not been conclusively linked to H. antecessor or any other species. According to new findings led by researchers at the Institut Catal de Paleoecologia Humana i Evoluci Social (IPHES-CERCA), an incomplete set of sinus and cheekbone fossils excavated in 2022 suggests another group likely beat H. antecessor to Western Europe.Archaeological excavation work at level TE7 of the Sima del Elefante (Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos). Credit: Maria D. Guilln / IPHES-CERCA Paleoarcheologists discovered the remains officially known as ATE7-1 (aka Pink) in 2022 roughly 6.5 feet deeper than the previously excavated jawbone. Because of its location, the team estimates that Pink is 1.4 to 1.1 million years old. This makes Pink the oldest human ancestor ever found in Western Europe. Researchers also found additional relics like stone tools made from flint and quartz, as well as animal bones displaying cut marks. Taken altogether, the items offer insight into the life and habits at the time.Although the quartz and flint tools found are simple, they suggest an effective subsistence strategy and highlight the hominins ability to exploit the resources available in their environment, Xos Pedro Rodrguez-lvarez, a study co-author and lithic materials specialist, said in a statement.The team worked over the next two years to conserve and carefully reconstruct the bone fragments using advanced imaging and 3D analysis tools. While the fossils arent a complete set, experts determined they composed large portions of the left side maxilla and zygomatic bones. Following further analysis, it soon became evident that Pink wasnt a member of the H. antecessor family at all.Rib of a small animal with cut marks recovered at level TE7 of the Sima del Elefante (Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos). Lower left, cut marks interrupted by a fissure. In the center, cut marks interrupted by abrasion striations (trampling). On the right, detail of the cut mark. Credit: Nature / Maria D. Guilln / IPHES-CERCA.Homo antecessor shares with Homo sapiens a more modern-looking face and a prominent nasal bone structure, whereas Pinks facial features are more primitive, resembling Homo erectus, particularly in its flat and underdeveloped nasal structure, explained Mara Martinn-Torres, director of Spains National Research Center on Human Evolution (CENIEH) and a lead researcher.But while Pinks remains dont match its more modern H. antecessor relatives, researchers stopped short of identifying them as belonging to the H. erectus family. Because of this, they assigned the fossils to H. aff. erectus, which suggests its Homo erectus identity is pending additional research and evidence. Regardless, the discovery makes clear that Western Europe was home to at least two Homo species during the Early Pleistocene. Whatever hominin Pink ends up being, their final resting place highlights humanitys complex, interconnected evolutionary journey to today.
