Introduction

In a groundbreaking revelation, researchers in Atapuerca, Spain have unveiled the reconstructed face of the oldest known human ancestor to have inhabited western Europe. Facial bones discovered in an ancient cave have offered extraordinary insights into our evolutionary history, as reported by CNN.

Discovery Details

In 2022, a dedicated team from the Atapuerca Project unearthed several bone fragments at the Sima del Enfante cave site, nestled in the Atapuerca Mountains. After years of meticulous examination and reconstruction, the fragments were identified as the left side of an adult human face, affectionately dubbed "Pink." This individual roamed the Earth approximately 1.2 to 1.4 million years ago, making this discovery a pivotal moment in the timeline of human evolution.

Identification of Species

Initially thought to belong to Homo antecessor, a hominin species that lived around 850,000 years ago, further analysis revealed that the remains represented an even more primitive species, which the research team has tentatively named **Homo affinis erectus**. This classification is based on notable similarities in skull characteristics to the well-documented species Homo erectus, widely known in Asia and Africa, although definitive evidence of this species has eluded researchers in Europe—until now!

Features of 'Pink'