The Secret of Omo I: Fossil Remains Unearthed from Volcanic Ash in Ethiopia in 1960 Have Been Deciphered by Scientists.
Omo I is a Homo sapiens, meaning “wise man” or “modern human”, referring to our species. For the past six decades, scientists have attempted to date these remains but could only estimate them to be around 200,000 years old.
Recently, an international team of scientists led by the University of Cambridge (UK) employed chemical analysis methods on the volcanic ash layers above and below the sediment where Omo I was found, ultimately providing an accurate answer: 230,000 years old, according to a publication in the scientific journal Nature.
Reconstructed skull of Omo I – (Photo: GuillaumeG)
This is a highly significant event. According to Dr. Céline Vidal from the Department of Geography at the University of Cambridge, the lead author of the paper, previously discovered Homo sapiens fossils were estimated to be around 200,000 years old or younger.
Before this, the scientific community estimated that Homo sapiens emerged approximately 300,000 years ago, but that was merely a rough estimate based on evolutionary data and much “newer” fossil remains.
Scientists working at the Omo I excavation site – (Photo: Al Denio).
According to Science Alert, Omo I is a remarkable fossil because it represents a fully evolved Homo sapiens, exhibiting clear modern human traits such as a high, rounded skull and a pronounced chin.
To achieve this skull shape, Homo sapiens must have undergone a lengthy evolutionary process beforehand. Thus, Omo I, with its ancient dating, pushes back the estimated timeframe for our species’ emergence by at least another 30,000 years: the history of humankind is evidently longer and more complex than previously thought.
Omo I was discovered in the Omo Kibish Formation in southwestern Ethiopia, within the East African Rift Valley. This area has a long history of volcanic activity and preserves numerous remains and artifacts from ancient humans within each layer of ash.
