An adult fossil strengthens the case for Homo erectus in southern Africa
Homo erectus（HOH-moh eh-REK-tus）
An ancient human relative known from very old fossils.
Drimolen Main Quarry（dree-moh-len main quarry）
A South African fossil site where these remains were found.
Paranthropus robustus（par-an-THROH-pus roh-BUS-tus）
Another ancient human relative found in the same landscape.
What was found
At Drimolen Main Quarry in South Africa, researchers revisited 18 human-relative fossils. The fossils were excavated between 1992 and 2019. Many had not received full descriptions. One piece, DNH 127, comes from an adult skull. The team attributes it to Homo erectus, an ancient human relative. The layer dates to about 2.04 to 1.95 million years ago. The paper uses cautious wording: the fragment fits Homo erectus in a broad sense. Read the paper abstract and the research announcement.
Why the adult fragment matters
Another Drimolen fossil, DNH 134, came from a child aged about two to four. That fossil already showed that Homo erectus lived at the site around two million years ago. But a child skull cannot show adult form clearly. DNH 127 adds an adult comparison from the same early period. It gives researchers a better chance to separate changes caused by growth from features linked to the group itself.
Why the date matters
Well-known adult Homo erectus fossils from Dmanisi, Georgia, date to about 1.8 million years ago. DNH 127 is roughly 200,000 years older. The result strengthens the record for Homo erectus in southern Africa around two million years ago. It does not prove that the species began there. A fossil shows where an individual lived. It does not automatically show where the species first evolved.
A crowded human landscape
The 18 fossils also tell a wider story. Fourteen belonged to Paranthropus robustus, another ancient human relative. One belonged to Homo erectus. Three could not be assigned clearly. Researchers say Paranthropus robustus developed larger teeth and chewing muscles between about two million and 1.8 million years ago. Hard foods may have helped drive those changes. They also describe Homo erectus as developing larger brains and smaller molars. Meat eating might have been part of that shift. That idea comes from anatomy, not a direct record of meals. At Drimolen, the fossils of Paranthropus robustus outnumbered Homo erectus fossils by more than ten to one, according to the researchers.
What the study establishes
The authors described preserved skull and jaw anatomy. They also took measurements. Then they compared the fossils with samples from other South African sites and with Homo erectus specimens. Several features together fit Homo erectus in a broad sense. The additional Paranthropus fossils also support the view that the Drimolen population differed from populations at other sites. The study therefore adds detail to a changing population record. It does not complete the human family tree with one fragment.
What remains open
DNH 127 is only part of a skull. It cannot reveal a complete face, body, or way of life. Scientists still do not know where Homo erectus began. They also do not know how early populations across Africa and Eurasia were related. The classification remains cautious. Future work can compare the three unassigned fossils, older collections, and three-dimensional scans. New discoveries may clarify how several human relatives shared one landscape and changed over time.
An adult Homo erectus fossil adds a clue from Africa
📰 Full story: An adult fossil strengthens the case for Homo erectus in southern Africa
Homo erectus, an ancient human relative, now has an adult fossil from South Africa.
DNH 127（dee-en-aych one twenty-seven）
The research number for the adult skull fragment.
Homo erectus（HOH-moh eh-REK-tus）
An ancient human relative.
Paranthropus robustus（par-an-THROH-pus roh-BUS-tus）
Another ancient human relative from the same place.
💡 The gist
- A skull fragment belonged to an adult Homo erectus.
- It is about two million years old.
- The find adds evidence from southern Africa.
At Drimolen Main Quarry in South Africa, scientists studied 18 fossils again. Workers found them between 1992 and 2019. Many had not been described fully.
DNH 127 is a small piece of an adult skull. Homo erectus, an ancient human relative, is the name given to it. The rock around it is about 2.04 to 1.95 million years old.
Scientists had already found DNH 134 there. DNH 134 belonged to a child aged two to four. A child fossil shows that the group lived there. It does not show the adult form clearly. DNH 127 adds an adult comparison.
The timing matters. Adult Homo erectus fossils from Dmanisi, Georgia, are about 1.8 million years old. DNH 127 is about 200,000 years older. It strengthens the case for Homo erectus in southern Africa around two million years ago. It does not prove that the species began there.
The 18 fossils also tell a wider story. Fourteen belonged to Paranthropus robustus, another ancient human relative. One belonged to Homo erectus. Three could not be assigned clearly. Paranthropus robustus had larger teeth and chewing muscles over time. Hard foods may have helped drive those changes. Researchers link Homo erectus changes to larger brains and smaller molars. Meat eating might be part of that story.
Scientists compared bone shapes and measurements. Several features together fit Homo erectus. The assignment remains cautious. More fossils and scans can test it.
The fragment cannot reveal a full face or lifestyle. It cannot identify the birthplace of Homo erectus. It cannot show exactly how these groups interacted. Future studies will compare old collections, new fossils, and three-dimensional scans. That work may explain how several human relatives shared one landscape.
A very old head piece tells a new story
📰 Full story: An adult fossil strengthens the case for Homo erectus in southern Africa
Scientists found part of an adult ancient human relative.
Homo erectus（HOH-moh eh-REK-tus）
A name for an old human relative.
DNH 127（dee-en-aych one twenty-seven）
The number given to the bone piece.
Paranthropus robustus（par-an-THROH-pus roh-BUS-tus）
The name of another old human relative.
At Drimolen in South Africa, scientists found a small head-bone piece. They call it DNH 127. It is about two million years old. Homo erectus is the name for this old human relative. Another fossil there belonged to a child aged two to four. That child fossil showed the group lived there. But it did not show an adult head clearly. DNH 127 gives scientists an adult piece. Now they can compare young and grown bones. Another old human relative lived there too. Its name was Paranthropus robustus. Its teeth and chewing muscles became bigger. That may have helped with hard foods. The fossils show several human relatives shared one place. Scientists still do not know where Homo erectus began. They need more bones and careful comparisons.