Boffins find mystery seafaring ancestor in the Philippines
June 4th, 2010 - 6:07 pm ICT by ANILondon, June 04 (ANI): Anthropologists have discovered a foot bone during an excavation of Callao cave in Luzon, which has led to researchers’ claim that humans reached the islands off south-east Asia at least tens of thousands of years earlier than previously thought.
Armand Mijares of the University of the Philippines Diliman, and his colleagues insist the bone is definitely human, and they are provisionally calling it a lightly built modern human.
Mijares pointed out that its shape was unusual, and its size fell within the ranges of Homo habilis and Homo floresiensis.
It suggests that humans arrived on Luzon, the largest and northernmost major island in the Philippines, at least 67,000 years ago.
“The arrival of people in Australia 50,000 to 60,000 years ago is a good comparison,” New Scientist quoted expedition member Florent Detroit of the National Museum for Natural History in Paris, France, as saying.
“It seems coherent for us to think that in; south-east Asia and Australia, humans had sea-faring capabilities by 60,000 to 70,000 years ago.” (ANI)
- Archaeologists unearth 67,000-year-old human bone - Aug 04, 2010
- 'Hobbit' was 'iodine-deficient human, not another species' - Sep 29, 2010
- 'Hobbits' were normal, not malformed humans - Jun 28, 2010
- Fossils of giant bird discovered on 'hobbit' island of Flores - Dec 08, 2010
- Modern humans not uniquely evolved species - Sep 06, 2011
- New human 'ancestor' revealed - May 22, 2010
- 'Hobbit' was a dwarf with large feet - May 07, 2009
- Two million year old skeletons discovered - Nov 18, 2011
- Discovery of stone tools at Crete push back seafaring by 130,000 years - Feb 16, 2010
- Humans and 'hobbits' may have existed together - Aug 04, 2009
- The "hobbit" evolved separate to humans - Jul 31, 2009
- 'Hobbit' a genuine ancient human species, say scientists - Nov 21, 2009
- Typhoon Nesat kills 31 in Philippines - Sep 28, 2011
- Remains of 2,000 year-old monster rodent found - Jul 25, 2010
- Ancient hominids may have been seafarers - Jan 10, 2010
Tags: ancestor, anthropologists, australia, capabilities, colleagues, excavation, expedition member, foot bone, homo habilis, Luzon, mijares, mystery, natural history, new scientist, paris france, shape, south east asia, tens of thousands, university of the philippines, university of the philippines diliman
