Paleontologists have identified the first evidence of Homo sapiens in Europe

Beside the ancient remains of homo sapiens were knife-shaped tools and bear tooth pendants. Researchers believe that the Neanderthals may have copied these designs later. (CREDIT: TSENKA TSANOVA, MPI-EVA LEIPZIG, LICENSE: CC-BY-SA 2.0 /)

Modern humans roamed central Europe at least 45,000 years ago, according to recent excavations in a cave in Bulgaria. An international team of scientists has uncovered fragments of teeth and bones that they believe belonged to Homo sapiens. Nearby, the researchers also found tools and pendants similar to those used thousands of years later by our loved ones, the Neanderthals. Together, the results the team announced this week in magazines. Nature y Nature ecology and evolution, helps paint a clearer picture of how Homo sapiens He came to Europe and interacted with local Neanderthals.

Previous studies have shown that Homo sapiens and Neanderthals they met and even crossed paths

; New discoveries suggest that Neanderthals may also have imitated artifacts created by their neighbors Homo Sapiens. "It is important for us to visit these sites and … identify who was really responsible for this" modern "innovative technology," said Shara Bailey, anthropologist at New York University and co-author. of one of the articles. "We know they have exchanged genes, but if they also share the culture, were these interactions probably friendly?" Said Bailey.

Paleontologists now believe that after modern humans left Africa, they headed for Eurasia, a trek that probably took place just over 40,000 years ago. Once there, they finally replaced the Neanderthals in the area. However, few details are known about this transition. So far the oldest known Homo sapiens the remains in Europe come from Peştera cu Oase ("cave with bones") in Romania and are estimated to be around 41,000 years old.

The remains that Bailey and his colleagues examined came from the Bacho Kiro Cave, located on the northern slopes of the Balkan mountain range. In 2015, the team began digging fragments of teeth and bones at the site. By analyzing the proteins and DNA stored in the fossils, the researchers finally identified a handful of bones Homo sapiens

. Bailey and his team also examined a distinctive molar of the site and determined that it also belonged to a modern human being. The researchers then calculated the age of the remains based on genetic material and radiocarbon dating, a technique that measures how carbon breaks down over time in organic material. Both analyzes date the remains from around 46,000 to 44,000 years ago, making them the earliest direct evidence of Homo sapiens

On the continent.

Next to the human remains were tools and pendants made from knives made from cave bear teeth. These pendants look like Neanderthal artifacts found in the French cave of the Grotte du Renne and date from an earlier age. "The methods they used to chain or modify them are similar to what Neanderthals did on later sites," says Bailey. "What this suggests is that instead of the Neanderthals innovating in bone tools, pendants, personal ornaments, they were adopting it … Homo sapiens"

However, even if Homo sapiens were the original inventors of these avant-garde ornaments, this would not mean that the Neanderthals were mere imitators. There is mounting evidence that the Neanderthals painted their bodies and used feathers and claws of birds for decorations, practices that could have allowed them to quickly assess whether an approaching hominid was a member of their party or a stranger.

And copying jewelry or tools used by these strangers would have been a useful skill in itself. "Is it more important to be the inventor or the innovator, or is it so important that you recognize something new and something that you can use and then embrace it in your culture? " Said Bailey. "It really is a matter of opinion."

MOST READ