What a 45,000-year-old bone hole reveals about our earliest ancestors

In a cave beneath a medieval German castle, researchers have discovered a bone pit that is said to reveal the secrets of early humans.

The remains, buried in layers of soil in a collapsed cave, contained genetic material from cave bears and hyenas, as well as the bones of 13 early humans who died about 45,000 years ago.

The discovery, described in three papers published Thursday in the journals Nature and Nature Ecology & Evolution, suggests that early humans ventured further north earlier than scientists realized. that they were able to make spear-shaped tools, and then a means by which humans could thrive in temperatures much colder than today’s climate.

These discoveries, perhaps made through the development of new DNA techniques, are reshaping the way scientists understand the time when humans and Neanderthals roamed the European continent.

“The antiquity of this site and site shows that there was a critical overlap between Neanderthals and humans,” said UC Berkeley paleontologist and forensic geneticist who helped author the three studies. says scholar Elena Zavala. This species has probably roamed the same geography for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years.

The discovery could bring scientists closer to understanding why Neanderthals ultimately became extinct and what role humans played in their demise.

John Hawkes, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who studies ancient human relatives but was not involved in the study, said the study shows that as Neanderthals neared their demise, different human cultures He said this helps solidify the theory that these spots were developing.

“These groups are doing research. They’re going to go to new places. They live there for a while. They have different lifestyles,” he said of early humans. “They feel comfortable moving into areas where Neanderthals were.”

These discoveries were only possible because previous researchers left no stone unturned. Archaeologists in the 1920s and 1930s previously excavated the Ilsenhöhle Cave beneath Ranis Castle in the Thuringia region of Germany. The castle was built over the cave long before any excavations took place.

That’s when scientists were unable to drill into critical layers of the cave, which collapsed after hitting rock more than five feet thick.

In 2016, researchers returned with updated drilling techniques and new forms of analysis. About 24 feet below the surface, they discovered a layer containing leaf tips (like the tip of a spear) and human bone fragments.

The discovery of human bone fragments led researchers to dig deep into material excavated nearly 90 years ago, where they discovered additional skeletal fragments.

Hélène Rouget, a paleoanthropologist at California State University, Northridge, said: “The discovery of a mix of animal and human remains that had been stored for almost a century was a wonderful and unexpected surprise. ” said in a news release.

The researchers were able to identify a total of 13 bones. DNA analysis confirmed that the bone fragments were human, and that some were related to the same person or family. Examination of animal bones found nearby suggests a harsh climate comparable to modern-day Siberia.

That means humans thrived in extreme weather around 45,000 years ago.

“These early modern humans appear to have mastered or put together a cultural package for success in more northern latitudes than Neanderthals,” Hawkes said.

The study also suggests that humans used reef point technology, which scientists once attributed to Neanderthals.

“Making these things is a thoroughly skilled process,” Hawks said of leaf points, which are flakes of rock thinned into the shape of olive leaves. “The fact that people invested energy to create that beautiful thing tells us about their social system. It tells us that they were not living hand-to-mouth. I had time.”

The fate of Neanderthals is the subject of hot debate. Could climate change spell their doom? Did humans kill them? Were they simply absorbed into humans as species interbred?

Even today, many people still have some Neanderthal DNA in their genetic code, depending on their ancestry.

More complex genetic testing of Ranisian bone fragments, an ongoing project, could determine whether the recently discovered bone fragments bear any traces of Neanderthal genes.

“The big question is: Does Neanderthal DNA exist? Did these humans potentially interbreed with Neanderthals?” Zavala said.

Answers to questions like these in Ranis could help answer questions inherent in the existence of our species, researchers say.

“It follows the question of what makes us human. 100,000 years ago, there were multiple species of hominins on Earth,” Zabala said. mentioned close relatives.

“Come on, it’s just us. Why is that? How did evolution get to where we are now and what does that mean for our future?”