The Atapuerca archaeological site in Spain has once again provided an important discovery about human evolution.
Scientists have uncovered facial bones that are between 1.4 and 1.1 million years old, according to 20Minutos.
These remains belong to a previously unknown species now classified as Homo affinis erectus. This makes it the oldest known face in Western Europe.
The finding, known as ATE7-1, is a major breakthrough in understanding early human migration and development.
It has been published in the journal Nature. Dr. Rosa Huguet, a researcher at IPHES-CERCA and associate professor at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili, led the study.
She worked alongside Dr. Xosé Pedro Rodríguez-Álvarez, who co-coordinates excavation efforts at the Sima del Elefante site.
Hominids first settled in Eurasia at least 1.8 million years ago. In Western Europe, the earliest known evidence of human habitation comes from Atapuerca.
Previously, the oldest fossils found there dated back 860,000 years. These remains, discovered in 1994 at the La Gran Dolina site, belonged to a species named Homo antecessor.
The fossils included six individuals, ranging from children to adults. Scientists believed that Homo antecessor was an ancestor of both modern humans and Neanderthals.
In 2007, a jawbone was found at Sima del Elefante. It was about 1.2 million years old but did not match Homo antecessor.
The species remained unidentified. A year later, a finger bone was discovered, but it also could not be classified.
In 2022, researchers finally found what they were looking for—a jawbone located 2.5 meters deeper than the 2007 find. This indicated it was even older.
Further analysis revealed another key piece—a left cheekbone from an adult. Scientists used 3D imaging to study it.
The remains were nicknamed "Pink" in reference to a Pink Floyd song and as a tribute to Dr. Huguet.
Homo affinis erectus does not have the facial structure of Homo antecessor. It also does not resemble early hominids found outside Africa, such as those at the 1.7-million-year-old Dmanisi site in Georgia.
Instead, it falls somewhere in between, opening a new chapter in human evolution.
Researchers believe that before Homo antecessor arrived, another species lived in Western Europe.
This discovery expands the family tree of early humans. Atapuerca continues to provide valuable insights into the past.
Scientists have also studied the environment where this hominid lived. Excavations have revealed stone tools, animal bones with cut marks, and sediment samples.
This suggests a forested habitat with seasonal water sources. Beavers and hippopotamuses lived there.
The climate was humid and mild. The people used simple stone tools made of quartz and flint, likely for processing animals.
The search for more fossils continues. Excavations at Sima del Elefante are not finished, and researchers expect exciting new finds in the coming years.
Other sites nearby, such as Ghost Cave, may also contain remains of this ancient species.
Atapuerca has already rewritten history many times, and scientists believe there is more to uncover.
