8.7 Million-Year-Old Fossil in Turkey Questions the ‘Out of Africa’ Theory of Human Evolution

8.7 Million-Year-Old Fossil in Turkey Questions the ‘Out of Africa’ Theory of Human Evolution

8.7 Million-Year-Old Fossil in Turkey Questions the ‘Out of Africa’ Theory of Human Evolution

In a Miocene excavation site located in central Anatolia, researchers have discovered a partial skull of Anadoluvius turkae, a sizable ape that roamed the Earth approximately 8.7 million years ago. This well-preserved specimen, found in Çorakyerler alongside fossils of giraffes, rhinos, and warthogs, exhibits characteristics that connect it to the lineage of apes and humans rather than to that of monkeys. Should further investigations validate that A. turkae and similar fossils from the eastern Mediterranean are indeed early hominines, it would imply that the common ancestor of humans and African apes originated in Eurasia before its descendants migrated to Africa.

This theory presents a challenge to the well-known “”Out of Africa”” narrative, although it does not completely dismiss it, as most of human evolution after that divergence indeed occurred in Africa. Critics warn that the gaps in Africa’s fossil record might merely conceal early hominines, indicating that more discoveries are essential in both regions. Regardless of the outcome, this Turkish fossil adds an intriguing layer to our understanding of hominine origins and emphasizes how each new discovery can alter the narrative of our earliest ancestors…