Nearly 200 years after Charles Darwin published "On the Origin of Species," his theory of evolution became the foundation of modern biology.
And today, we all know that modern humans, Homo sapiens, evolved from ancient primates and once coexisted on Earth with other human species such as Neanderthals.
But the nature of science is to always question and seek new evidence to challenge existing knowledge. Therefore, a 20th-century discovery is changing the way we view our own evolutionary history after decades of mystery: the Petralona skull.
Mysteries from Greek caves
In 1960, a nearly complete skull (missing only the jawbone) was discovered by chance in a cave near Thessaloniki, Greece.
This skull (named the Petralona skull) is firmly attached to the cave wall and is remarkably preserved by calcite, creating a horn-like stalactite on top of its head. Since then, it has become one of the most controversial fossils in paleoanthropology.
For the past 65 years, the Petralona skull has remained a great mystery in archaeology because it did not belong to Homo sapiens or Neanderthals, the two most well-known prehistoric human species in Europe. This has raised questions about its true identity and the significance of its presence for the evolutionary history of humankind.
The age of this skull is also a subject of debate, with some researchers suggesting it is only about 170,000 years old, while others believe it could be as old as 700,000 years, more than twice the age of Homo sapiens.
Initial classification efforts
The first attempt to classify the Petralona skull took place in 1964, when two German scientists were invited to analyze the remains. They concluded that the skull and accompanying animal remains dated back approximately 50,000 years, belonging to one of the first humans to leave Africa for Europe. However, this notion was quickly challenged.
Greek researcher Aris Poulianos put forward a bolder hypothesis, suggesting that the skull belonged to a distinct human species that evolved in Southeast Europe. He initially estimated its age at 500,000 years, later raising it to 700,000 years, much older than the initial estimate.
Meanwhile, other researchers argue that it is a direct ancestor of Homo sapiens, dating back approximately 300,000 years. The debate over the age and identity of the skull has lasted for decades without a definitive answer.
New evidence sheds light on the mystery.
It wasn't until last August that the scientific community achieved a significant breakthrough. A study led by Christophe Falguères, published in the Journal of Human Evolution (JHE) , used uranium-based dating on calcite deposits on skulls.
The results indicate that this calcite has existed for at least 277,000 years, providing a solid figure for the minimum age of the fossil.
Chris Stringer, one of the study's co-authors and a paleoanthropologist at the Natural History Museum in London, said: "The new dating estimates support the existence and coexistence of this population alongside the evolving Neanderthal lineage at the end of the Middle Pleistocene in Europe."
Researchers have officially classified this skull as Homo heidelbergensis, an extinct human species that the Smithsonian Institution has long cataloged.
This discovery not only provides answers to a mystery that has lasted for decades, but also reinforces the view that multiple human species have coexisted and interacted in the past. It opens a new chapter in the study of human evolution, showing that our history is more complex and diverse than we previously thought.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/khoa-hoc/hop-so-co-sung-mat-xich-bi-mat-trong-cau-chuyen-tien-hoa-cua-loai-nguoi-20250907235531679.htm
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