Oldest Human Fossil Outside Africa Discovered in Israel
January 25, 2018 - A human fossil found in Israel has revealed that our species left Africa more than 50,000 years earlier than thought. Part of an upper jaw with teeth, the fossil was discovered in 2002 on Mount Carmel in northern Israel. While large-scale migration didn't occur until around 50,000 to 60,000 years ago, small groups ventured out before then. Previously, our ancestors were thought to have initially traveled outside of Africa as far back as 120,000 years ago, but the new finding now puts that number at around 180,000 years ago. Scientists used four different dating methods to identify the age of the newfound fossil.
