The Kibish Omo I fossil, which changed human history with bone and skull fragments first unearthed during an excavation in Ethiopia in 1967, was the second oldest Homo sapiens fossil to date. Don’t get me wrong, he still is, but according to the latest research, he’s actually even older.
With this research, the Kibish Omo I fossil once again changed human history. First, in 2005, when geologists analyzed the rock layer beneath the fossil, they determined that the Kibish Omo I fossil was 195,000 years old. It was one of the earliest fossils of modern humans ever discovered. However, there was always thought to be a margin of error regarding the fossil’s age.
Kibish Omo I was actually 233,000 years old
Kibish Omo I is apparently still one of the oldest relics, but new research has revealed that it’s even older. Celine Vidal, a volcano expert, is the lead author of the study published in the journal Nature, and in her statement on the subject, she stated that she believes that there are still uncertainties about the age of Omo I, and that’s why she started research.
“When the fossil was discovered, it was almost impossible to investigate the volcanic ash there because the ashes were almost like flour,” says Celine Vidal. But thanks to today’s more refined methods, Vidal’s team was able to match the ash on the fossil to the eruption of a past volcanic mountain called Shala.
According to the results of the studies on the volcanic eruption ash, it was learned that the layer in which Omo I was discovered is exactly 233,000 years old. In other words, there is a 38,000-year margin of error compared to the previous finding. Although increasing in age, Omo I is not the oldest homo sapiens remnant. The oldest homo sapiens remains in the world were discovered in Morocco in 2017 and its age was 315,000 years old. With this new research, Omo I got even closer to the fossil from Morocco.
However, Omo I is the only fossil of all human fossils ever found that fully resembles modern humans in physical characteristics. This means that all the information that will change about him directly concerns modern man.
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