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780K year old hyena poop... in Britain
Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2010 8:26 am
by Rokcet Scientist
Palaeontologist Simon Parfitt shows a newly discovered fossil of hyena droppings found in a United Kingdom river deposit, during a press conference to reveal the findings at the Royal Institution in London, Wednesday, July 7, 2010. The finds, revealed in this week's Nature magazine, indicate that early humans were living in northern Europe more than 780,000 years ago and tell us more about the dispersal of early humans out of Africa and will likely prompt a re-evaluation of the adaptations and capabilities of early humans.
http://www.physorg.com/news197727896.html
Somehow ancient hyena poop seems to indicate that there were hominids living in Britain at the time...
Re: 780K year old hyena poop... in Britain
Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2010 8:50 am
by Minimalist
It's a pretty good indication that there were hyenas living there, though.
Re: 780K year old hyena poop... in Britain
Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2010 9:07 am
by Rokcet Scientist
Minimalist wrote:It's a pretty good indication that there were hyenas living there, though.
Which is a pretty good indication of a tropical climate at the time too, and suggesting a rich, tropical flora and fauna, which was probably the reason hominids were there.
Re: 780K year old hyena poop... in Britain
Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2010 10:42 am
by Digit
There appears to be a slight contradiction there I think.
Frankly I can't see how the existance of any non domesticated animal can be taken as evidence of a human population, wishful thing perhaps, bit like saying that the existance of the NA Bison shows that NA Indians abounded. I agree with Min though!
Roy.
Re: 780K year old hyena poop... in Britain
Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2010 12:29 pm
by Rokcet Scientist
Digit wrote:Frankly I can't see how the existance of any non domesticated animal can be taken as evidence of a human population
Yet a 780K BP hominid population in Britain is what this article purports. Looks like there's a piece of reasoning missing.
Re: 780K year old hyena poop... in Britain
Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2010 12:38 pm
by Digit
Yet a 780K BP hominid population in Britain is what this article purports. Looks like there's a piece of reasoning missing.
It does indeed, which I find surprising from Nature as no evidence is offered in support, you will also find on your other post on the UK about Hyenas.
Roy.