Oldest Human Hair Found in Hyena Poop Fossil?
The oldest known human hairs could be the strands discovered in fossil hyena poop found in a South African cave, a new study hints.
Researchers discovered the rock-hard hyena dung near the Sterkfontein caves, where many early human ancestor fossils have been found.
Until now, the oldest known human hair was from a 9,000-year-old Chilean mummy.
The sizes and shapes of the coprolites and their location suggest they came from brown hyenas, which still live in the region's caves today.
It's not clear which species the newfound human hairs are from, since the human fossil record for this time span is exceedingly limited, the researchers say.
Read entire article at National Geographic
Researchers discovered the rock-hard hyena dung near the Sterkfontein caves, where many early human ancestor fossils have been found.
Until now, the oldest known human hair was from a 9,000-year-old Chilean mummy.
The sizes and shapes of the coprolites and their location suggest they came from brown hyenas, which still live in the region's caves today.
It's not clear which species the newfound human hairs are from, since the human fossil record for this time span is exceedingly limited, the researchers say.