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Bones discovered nearly 40 years ago in Ethiopia now appear to be the oldest known fossils of modern-looking humans, says an analysis that suggests they come from around the dawn of the species.
The fossils were found in 1967 near the Omo River inSouthwestern Ethiopia. Two different sites yielded Omo I and Omo II. Neither specimen has a complete face.
After analysis and using modern dting techniques, it's reported both specimans are about 195,000 years old, give or take 5,000 years.
The more primitive traits of Omo II may mean the two specimans came form different but overlapping Homosapiens populations, or that they just represent natural variation within a single population.
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2nd March 2005, 15:48
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