The Omo remains are a collection of hominid bones, discovered between 1967 and 1974 at the
Two specimens Omo 1 and Omo 2 differ in morphological traits. Omo 2 characteristics indicate more archaic traits. Studies of the postcranial remains of Omo I indicate an overall modern human morphology with a number of primitive features. Omo I and Omo II hominid fossils are from similar stratigraphic levels over Member I. Authors of the new Homo Omo dating preferred estimate of the age of the Kibish hominids is 195 ± 5 ka which is also the record earliest date in this category.[2]
The bones, which include two partial skulls, four jaws, a legbone, around two hundred teeth and several other parts, were found between 1967 and 1974. Very limited fauna and a few stone artifacts found at sites attributed that "in subsequent decades, the reliability of the dates and the provenance of the Kibish hominids were repeatedly questioned".[1]
About 30 years later detailed stratigraphic analysis of area surrounding the fossil argon dated layers MemberI to 195 kya and MemberIII to 105 kya. The numerous new lithic record from Members I and III verify tool technology to Middle Stone Age.[1] The lower layer (below the fossils) is considerably older than the 160,000-year-old Herto remains designated Homo sapiens idaltu, which had been thought to be the earliest humans, and suggests that, if humans did originate in Africa as is currently thought, they did not expand from there for much longer than previously thought. The rainy condition at that time known from isotopic ages on the Kibish Formation corresponding to ages of Mediterranean sapropels, which reflect increased flow of the Nile River, and necessarily increased flow of the Omo River. Climatic conditions after 185 ka were too dry to prevent speleothems to grow in the Levantine land-bridge inroad Eurasian migration.[5]. RAO theory suggests that H. sapiens sapiens evolved alongside other hominids for a considerable period of time before the other hominids became extinct.
In 2008 new bone remains was discovered from Awoke's Hominid Site (AHS). AHS fossils tibia and fibula was unearthed from from Member I the same layer the other Omo remains derive.[6]
See also
- Lucy
- Java Man
- List of fossil sites (with link directory)
- List of human fossils
- Peking Man
References
- ^ a b c Fleagle, Jg; Assefa, Z; Brown, Fh; Shea, Jj (Sep 2008). "Paleoanthropology of the Kibish Formation, southern Ethiopia: Introduction". Journal of human evolution 55 (3): 360–5. doi:. ISSN 0047-2484. PMID 18617219.
- ^ a b c Mcdougall, Ian (2005). "Stratigraphic placement and age of modern humans from Kibish, Ethiopia". Nature 433: 733. doi:.
- ^ Hopkin, Michael (2005-02-16). "Ethiopia is top choice for cradle of Homo sapiens". Nature News. doi:10.1038/news050214-10. http://www.nature.com/news/2005/050216/full/news050214-10.html.
- ^ "Fossil Reanalysis Pushes Back Origin of Homo sapiens". Scientific American. 2005-02-17. http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=00053DFE-C0B7-1213-80B783414B7F0000.
- ^ Vaks, Anton (2007). "Desert speleothems reveal climatic window for African exodus of early modern humans". Geology 35: 831. doi:. http://earth.huji.ac.il/data/pics/Vax%20et%20al%202007.pdf.
- ^ Pearson, Om; Fleagle, Jg; Grine, Fe; Royer, Df (Sep 2008). "Further new hominin fossils from the Kibish Formation, southwestern Ethiopia". Journal of human evolution 55 (3): 444–7. doi:. ISSN 0047-2484. PMID 18691739.
External links
Coordinates: 4°48′1.27″N 35°58′1.45″E / 4.8003528°N 35.9670694°E
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