World history is turned upside down because of the world's oldest fossil of a wise man

The secret of Omo I, fossil remains unearthed among volcanic ash in Ethiopia in 1960, has just been deciphered by scientists.

Omo I is Homo sapiens, or "wise man" or "modern man", or our species. For the past 6 decades, scientists have tried to determine the age of this skeleton but have not been able to give an exact number, only estimated at about 200,000 years old.

Recently, an international team of scientists led by the University of Cambridge (UK) used chemical analysis of the volcanic ash layers above and below the sediment where Omo I was found. gives the correct answer: 230,000 years old, according to an article published in the scientific journal Nature.

Omo I .'s reconstructed skull

This is a very significant event. According to Dr Céline Vidal from Cambridge University's Department of Geography, lead author of the paper, Homo sapiens fossils previously found are only about 200,000 years old or less.

Previously, scientists estimated that Homo sapiens was born about 300,000 years ago, but that is only a rough estimate based on scientific data on evolution and much "newer" real skeletons.

Scientists working at the Omo I . excavation site

According to Science Alert, Omo I is a remarkable set of fossil remains because it represents a fully evolved Omo sapiens, bearing the hallmarks of modern humans such as a high spherical skull arch and a distinct chin.

To achieve this skull shape, Homo sapiens would have had to go through a very long evolutionary period before that. Thus, Omo I with such an ancient date would push the estimated time period in which our species appeared to be pushed back by at least 30,000 years: human history is clearly long and complicated. than previously thought.

Omo I is found in the Omo Kibish Formation of southwestern Ethiopia, in the East African rift valley. This area has a long history of volcanic activity and preserves many remains and artifacts from ancient people in each layer of ash.