New skull turns up in northeast Africa
Morell, V.
Science 271(5245): 32
1996
ISSN/ISBN: 0036-8075 PMID: 8539594 Document Number: 459940
The northeastern African country of Eritrea may be a new area for the exploration of human origins. A team of Eritrean and Italian scientists working in the Danakil Desert of Eritrea has unearthed several well-preserved human remains dating to about 2 million years ago. A very large part of a skull and part of a pelvis and a finger bone were found. Ernesto Abbate, a geologist at the University of Florence and co-leader of the team, is confident that the remains represent a human ancestor--the first ever discovered in the region. Furthermore, the team thinks that the skull may provide clues to ancestral intelligence.