The earliest modern humans outside Africa

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Abstract
Earliest modern humans out of Africa: Recent paleoanthropological studies have suggested that modern humans migrated from Africa as early as the beginning of the Late Pleistocene, 120,000 years ago. Hershkovitzet al.now suggest that early modern humans were already present outside of Africa more than 55,000 years earlier (see the Perspective by Stringer and Galway-Witham). During excavations of sediments at Mount Carmel, Israel, they found a fossil of a mouth part, a left hemimaxilla, with almost complete dentition.The sediments contain a series of well-defined hearths and a rich stone-based industry, as well as abundant animal remains. Analysis of the human remains, and dating of the site and the fossil itself, indicate a likely age of at least 177,000 years for the fossil—making it the oldest member of theHomo sapiensclade found outside Africa.Science, this issue p.456; see also p.389
Funding Information
  • Leakey Foundation
  • Israel Science Foundation (1104/12)
  • Dan David Foundation
  • Australian Research Council Future Fellowship (FT150100215)
  • Irene Levi-Sala CARE Archaeological Foundation
  • Thyssen Foundation
  • Life Science Faculty University of Vienna, Oesterreichische Nationalbank, Anniversary Fund (project number 16121)
  • A.E.R.S. Dental Medicine Organisations GmbH (FA547014)
  • Siegfried Ludwig - Rudolf Slavicek Foundation (FA547016)
  • People Programme (Marie Curie Actions) of the European Union"s Seventh Framework Programme (PIOF-GA-2013-626474)
  • Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad of Spain (MINECO: CGL2015-65387-C3-3-P)
  • Fundación Atapuerca

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