Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Cave fossils are early Europeans
Erik Trinkaus from Washington University in St Louis and colleagues obtained radiocarbon dates directly from the fossils and analysed their anatomical form.

The results showed that the fossils were 30,000 years old and had the diagnostic features of modern humans (Homo sapiens).

But Professor Trinkaus and his colleagues argue, controversially, that the bones also display features that were characteristic of our evolutionary cousins, the Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis).


Artist's conception of what the Euro-caveman may have looked like:


Also check out this course at Johns Hopkins utilizing the same characters.

UPDATE: More here.