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Human Evolution in Eurasia: The Fossils that Darwin Did Not Know

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Illuminating Human Evolution: 150 Years after Darwin

Part of the book series: Evolutionary Studies ((EVOLUS))

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Abstract

During the last decade, we have witnessed a significant increase in human fossils whose analysis has forced us to redefine the evolutionary landscape of the genus Homo. The findings of the last 10 years have complicated and enriched our interpretation of the “human bush” by highlighting (1) the great morphological variability of the fossil record during the Pleistocene and (2) a greater role of the Asian continent in the reconstruction of our origin. This article presents a general review of the human fossils found or reanalyzed in the last decade and whose study has caused a change in the current paradigm in human evolution. Our analysis forces us to reconsider many of the basic premises of models such as “Out of Africa 1” and “Out of Africa 2,” especially those that explain human evolution and hominin dispersals as unidirectional, linear, and demographically simple processes. Our review emphasizes the role that Asia plays in the reconstruction of our origin during the Pleistocene, including critical stages for the emergence of our own species.

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Acknowledgments

The research reported in this paper has received support from the Dirección General de Investigación del Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (PID2021-122355NB-C33), the Consejería de Cultura y Turismo de la Junta de Castilla y León, the Fundación Atapuerca, British Academy (International Partnership and Mobility Scheme PM160019) and The Leakey Foundation through the personal support of Gordon Getty (2013) and Dub Crook (2014–2022). The microtomography image of ATD6-69 was obtained in the ICTS-CENIEH microscopy laboratory in collaboration with CENIEH staff.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CENIEH (National Research Center on Human Evolution), Burgos, Spain

    María Martinón-Torres

  2. Anthropology Department, UCL, London, UK

    María Martinón-Torres

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  1. María Martinón-Torres
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Correspondence to María Martinón-Torres .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. MELIS-Universitat Pompeu Fabra, IBE, Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (UPF-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain

    Jaume Bertranpetit

  2. Institut de Biologia Integrativa de Sistemes I2SysBio, Universitat de València-CSIC, Paterna, Spain

    Juli Peretó

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Martinón-Torres, M. (2022). Human Evolution in Eurasia: The Fossils that Darwin Did Not Know. In: Bertranpetit, J., Peretó, J. (eds) Illuminating Human Evolution: 150 Years after Darwin. Evolutionary Studies. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-3246-5_8

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