Teeth reveal that modern humans lived in Asia 80,000 years ago
Photo provided by the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences shows tooth fossils found in Daoxian county in central China's Hunan Province. These tooth fossils indicate the early form of modern homo sapiens appeared in the region more than 80,000 years ago. The 47 fossils, found in Daoxian county, date back from 80,000 to 120,000 years and are believed to be the oldest remains of a completely modern form scientists have known in the east Asia region, the study's leading scientists said on Oct. 15, 2015. (Xinhua)
Photo provided by the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences shows tooth fossils found in Daoxian county in central China's Hunan Province. These tooth fossils indicate the early form of modern homo sapiens appeared in the region more than 80,000 years ago. The 47 fossils, found in Daoxian county, date back from 80,000 to 120,000 years and are believed to be the oldest remains of a completely modern form scientists have known in the east Asia region, the study's leading scientists said on Oct. 15, 2015. (Xinhua)
Photo provided by the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences shows tooth fossils found in Daoxian county in central China's Hunan Province. These tooth fossils indicate the early form of modern homo sapiens appeared in the region more than 80,000 years ago. The 47 fossils, found in Daoxian county, date back from 80,000 to 120,000 years and are believed to be the oldest remains of a completely modern form scientists have known in the east Asia region, the study's leading scientists said on Oct. 15, 2015. (Xinhua)
Liu Wu (C), researcher of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), identifies a tooth fossil, on Sept. 19, 2012. Tooth fossils found in a county in central China's Hunan Province indicate the early form of modern homo sapiens appeared in the region more than 80,000 years ago. The 47 fossils, found in Daoxian county, date back from 80,000 to 120,000 years and are believed to be the oldest remains of a completely modern form scientists have known in the east Asia region, the study's leading scientists said on Oct. 15, 2015. (Xinhua/Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology)
Liu Wu , researcher of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), works in a cave at Daoxian County in central China's Hunan Province, on Oct. 31, 2014. Tooth fossils found in Daoxian indicate the early form of modern homo sapiens appeared in the region more than 80,000 years ago. The 47 fossils date back from 80,000 to 120,000 years and are believed to be the oldest remains of a completely modern form scientists have known in the east Asia region, the study's leading scientists said on Oct. 15, 2015. (Xinhua)
This composite graph provided by the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences shows tooth fossils found in Daoxian County in central China's Hunan Province. These tooth fossils indicate the early form of modern homo sapiens appeared in the region more than 80,000 years ago. The 47 fossils, found in Daoxian county, date back from 80,000 to 120,000 years and are believed to be the oldest remains of a completely modern form scientists have known in the east Asia region, the study's leading scientists said on Oct. 15, 2015. (Xinhua)
Researchers pose for a photo in a cave at Daoxian County in central China's Hunan Province, on Oct. 16, 2011. Tooth fossils found Daoxian indicate the early form of modern homo sapiens appeared in the region more than 80,000 years ago. The 47 fossils date back from 80,000 to 120,000 years and are believed to be the oldest remains of a completely modern form scientists have known in the east Asia region, the study's leading scientists said on Oct. 15, 2015. (Xinhua/Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology)
Tooth fossils found in Central China's Hunan Province indicate an early form of modern Homo sapiens lived in the region more than 80,000 years ago.
The 47 fossils, found in Daoxian county, date back 80,000 to 120,000 years and are believed to be the oldest remains of a completely modern human scientists have found in the East Asia region, the study's leading scientists said on Thursday.
The research, conducted by Chinese and foreign academic institutes since 2010, was led by Liu Wu and Wu Xiujie from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) as well as Cai Yanjun from CAS's Institute of Earth Environment.
Researchers found that size of the teeth in Daoxian are considerably smaller than those found in humans in the mid-and-late Pleistocene era, indicating that they belong to much earlier humans.
However, their short, thin roots and crown shapes are typical for modern Homo sapiens, according to the scientists.
Cai said they used uranium-series dating, carbon-14 testing and surrounding animal analysis to determine to age of the fossils.
Previous studies indicated that humans with modern features started to appear in West Asia and Europe as early as about 50,000 years ago.
Remains of Homo sapiens dating before 45,000 years ago, which have been found in the Asia-Pacific region and are in good condition, are rare.
The latest finding gives more evidence of the earliest presence of modern humans in this region, Wu said.
These results will also help the study of the origin and migration of modern humans in the region.
This latest finding was published in the Thursday edition of the prestigious journal Nature.