Jawbones and vertebrae belonging to a hominin that lived around 773,000 years ago have been discovered in North Africa. These fossils could represent a shared ancestor of Homo sapiens, Neanderthals, and Denisovans.
The jawbone of an ancient hominin found at Grotte à Hominidés in Morocco
Fossils from North Africa, dating back nearly 750,000 years, may belong to a common ancestor of Neanderthals, Denisovans, and modern humans, living just before these lineages diverged.
Scientists estimate that this last shared ancestor existed between roughly 765,000 and 550,000 years ago, though its exact time and location remain key mysteries in human evolution.
