It was unearthed in Georgia by a team of paleontologists. His face raises questions about the categories of Homo previously defined, so our ancestors.
Skull 5 was discovered by paleontologists on Georgian Dmanisi site in 2005. (GEORGIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM / AFP) 
By Julie Rasplus Its discovery dates back to 2005, but it was unveiled to the day Thursday, October 17, in an article published in the journal Science (English) . An old skull of 1.8 million years has been unearthed on the field Dmanisi, Georgia. His discovery stirred the scientific community because it raises questions about the assumptions developed so far for our ancestors. Why passion she so? Is it so important? Elements of response.
Yes, it is very well preserved
“skull 5″, as the researchers have dubbed, landmark because of its incredible condition. This is a “beautiful fossil” , exclaims Jean-Jacques Jaeger, emeritus professor of paleontology at the University of Poitiers (Vienne), interviewed by FranceTV info. “was rarely found as complete and ancient fossils” , adds Antoine Balzeau, paleoanthropologist at the CNRS and the Museum of Natural History in Paris.
During their research, the scientists found, in fact, more often teeth or skull fragments that whole faces, as is the case here. “This is probably the most beautiful fossil of the period. This is truly exceptional side of this discovery” , still amazes Antoine Balzeau, contacted by FranceTV info.
Yes, it has singularities
fossil attributed to a male of the genus Homo, this a “massive face, really impressive,” by Antoine Balzeau. But it is not essential. This skull has “extremely prominent brow and jaw thrown forward. Everything associated with a small brain and big teeth” describes Jean-Jacques Jaeger .
Especially“he mixes the characteristics of three different contemporary forms of hominids, namely Homo habilis and Homo rudolfensis the Homo ergaster” says Jean-Jacques Jaeger. And the cranium is small, such as Homo habilis, and his teeth are large, such as Homo rudolfensis and has an elongated face, as it is found in Homo ergaster. The genus Homo is in fact divided into several categories of species and subspecies. “This is the first time that we find these characteristics in the same individual says Dominique Grimaud-Hervé, paleoanthropologist at the Natural History Museum of Paris. If its fragments were discovered scattered in Africa, they have been attributed to these three species different. “
Today, all these species have disappeared, the last representative of the genus Homo is Homo sapiens, modern man appeared there 200,000 years.
Yes, it is not a discovery isolated
Before the skull 5, four other hominid skulls were found at the Dmanisi field. However, this finding is not trivial. “It’s rare to find several specimens on the same site” said Antoine Balzeau. This is even more than the five skulls are very well preserved and all date from the same era, or the output of the first humans out of Africa. “In finding them so close to each other and in the same geological layers, this aspect feels they all lived in the same period.’s very interesting in relation to our knowledge of human evolution” says paleoanthropologist.
number of skulls discovered in Georgia is also exceptional. “These five fossils, for this time, it is almost as much as what was collected elsewhere in the world” , insists Antoine Balzeau. The discovery highlights the importance of Georgian Dmanisi site. “It’s been at least twenty-five years they searched the field, and they continue to find Dmanisi remains important. promises more discoveries like this” , says Jean-Jacques Jaeger.
Yes, questions of human evolution
authors of the study are categorical. For them, the discovery of the skull 5 shows that there is only one species of the genus Homo from Africa. Specifically, Homo habilis, Homo ergaster and Homo rudolfensis, including fossils have been found in Africa, are merely variations within a single population.
“The authors therefore consider that there was at that time only one hominid, which is the ancestor of Homo erectus and Homo sapiens” says Jean -Jacques Jaeger. So “there should be a name instead of the three names. This could be erectus or ergaster, the latter being considered as a pre-erectus” .
“With the results of this skull, you can not help but wonder about the African hominids” says Dominique Grimaud-Hervé. “Maybe these distinctions species have no place to be …” asks the professor in the Department of Prehistory at the National Museum of Natural History. However, she stressed the need for confirmation of these findings, including an analysis of skeletal remains.
No, this work is debate
discovery “is a Rosetta stone in the debate on man there are two million years” , said Jean-Jacques Jaeger. And the debate rages. The British palaeobiologist Bernard Wood is well said “very skeptical” on the work and critical to the method used by the authors, which does not take into account other differences between specimens, such as those concerning mandibles. For him, the skull 5 “may well be, in fact, that of a new hominid species’ .
Antoine Balzeau, the authors say “nothing new. For many years, the researchers suggest the possibility that all African hominids can be categorized Homo erectus. But they get wet a little saying that there is only one species of Homo “. Paleoanthropologist researchers noted that “comparing Georgian fossil with fossils from Africa and Asia, much less well preserved.” For Antoine Balzeau “should be further analyzed of the face and dental structure, for example, to obtain new information “.
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