Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News
  • Published:

Oldest Homo sapiens fossil claim rewrites our species' history

Nature (2017)Cite this article

Subjects

This article has been updated

Remains from Morocco dated to 315,000 years ago push back our species' origins by 100,000 years — and suggest we didn't evolve only in East Africa.

Access through your institution
Buy or subscribe

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Access through your institution

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Change history

  • 08 June 2017

    An earlier version of this story misstated excavation dates of the Jebel Irhoud site.

References

  1. Hublin, J. et al. Nature 546, 289-292 (2017).

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. Richter, D. et al. Nature 546, 293-296 (2017).

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  3. McDougall, I., Brown, F. H. & Fleagle, J. G. Nature 433, 733–736 (2005).

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. White, T. D. et al. Nature 423, 742–747 (2003).

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. Cann, R. L., Stoneking, M. & Wilson, A. C. Nature 325, 31-36 (1987).

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. Schlebusch, C. et al. Preprint at http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/06/05/145409 (2017).

Download references

Authors
  1. Ewen Callaway
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Read the related News & Views article: 'On the origin of our species'

Related links

Related links

Related links in Nature Research

How China is rewriting the book on human origins 2016-Jul-12

Oldest ancient-human DNA details dawn of Neanderthals 2016-Mar-14

Teeth from China reveal early human trek out of Africa 2015-Oct-14

'Pit of bones' catches Neanderthal evolution in the act 2014-Jun-19

Studies slow the human DNA clock 2012-Sep-18

Ethiopia is top choice for cradle of Homo sapiens 2005-Feb-16

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Callaway, E. Oldest Homo sapiens fossil claim rewrites our species' history. Nature (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature.2017.22114

Download citation

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature.2017.22114

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing