“Out of Africa” is the phrase commonly used to explain the diaspora of humanity, suggesting that our species first evolved there before spreading all over the globe. However, now experts say a skull of an ape found in Turkey in 2015 could challenge that long-held notion.
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00:04 "Out of Africa" is the phrase commonly used to explain the diaspora of humanity,
00:08 suggesting that our species first evolved there before spreading all over the globe.
00:12 However, now experts say a skull of an ape found in Turkey in 2015 could change that long-held notion.
00:18 This is a skull that belonged to a species called Anadoluvius turkey,
00:22 and the researchers say it's 8.7 million years old.
00:26 This challenges current theories about human evolution,
00:29 because humans and their ape ancestors weren't seen in Africa until 7 million years ago,
00:34 meaning this evidence predates previous finds,
00:36 suggesting the hominin line could have actually started in Europe, and rather migrated to Africa.
00:42 Paleoanthropologist and the study's co-senior author, Professor David Begun, told The Telegraph,
00:47 "Our findings further suggest that hominins not only evolved in Western and Central Europe,
00:52 but spent over 5 million years evolving there and spreading to the eastern Mediterranean
00:56 before eventually dispersing into Africa."
00:59 He adds that this move was likely due to changing environmental conditions,
01:02 specifically diminishing forests.
01:04 However, the researchers add that this is simply one piece of evidence,
01:07 and many more would be needed to overturn the long-standing "out of Africa" evidence we already have.
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