Interesting Random Research

If a human were transported 25 million years ago, what plants could be made into a soup

If you were transported 25 million years ago to the 

late Oligocene or early Miocene, you would find a landscape transitioning from dense forests to more open savannas. While modern supermarket cultivars didn't exist, many plant families we eat today were well-established and could be foraged for a hearty prehistoric soup. 

Base and Aromatics

• Wild Onions and Garlic: Relatives of the 
  Allium
   genus (which includes onions, garlic, and leeks) likely diverged around this time. You might find "onion-tasting" bulbs or wild leek-like greens to provide a savory base for your broth.
• Wild Celery and Parsley: Early versions of the 
  Apiaceae
   family, which includes wild celery and parsley, were already present in many regions.
• Lauraceae (Bay Leaves): Species of the laurel family, such as 
  Laurus nobilis
   (the ancestor of modern bay leaves), were common in the Miocene. These would be perfect for seasoning a long-simmering pot. 

Vegetables and Starches

• Fern Fiddleheads: Various fern species like 
  Woodwardia
   (
  Chain fern
  ) and 
  Osmunda
   (
  Cinnamon fern
  ) flourished. Their young, coiled "fiddleheads" are edible when cooked and have a taste similar to asparagus or green beans.
• Wild Tubers: Root vegetables and tubers existed, though identifying which specific species were non-toxic would be a challenge. Prehistoric humans likely used processing techniques like boiling or leaching to detoxify wild roots before eating.
• Legumes: Ancestors of modern beans, peas, and lentils were already diverse and widespread, particularly in tropical and temperate regions.
• Water Chestnuts and Gorgon Nuts: Fossil evidence from the Miocene shows that starchy aquatic plants like water chestnuts (
  Trapa
  ) and gorgon nuts (
  Euryale
  ) were available and nutritious. 

Thickening and Seasoning

• Nuts: Walnuts (
  Juglans
  ), hickory nuts (
  Carya
  ), and hazelnuts (
  Corylus
  ) could be ground into a paste to thicken the soup or add fat and protein.
• Pine Nuts: Conifer seeds from various pine species were available and could be used as a high-calorie addition.
• Wild Peppers: Early relatives of black pepper (Piper) and other spicy ferns existed, allowing for some heat in your seasoning. 

Safety Warning

While many plant families were recognizable, 25 million years ago was an era of intense floral evolution. Many plants evolved chemical defenses (toxins) to deter herbivores. Without modern knowledge, any foraging would require extreme caution, such as the "universal edibility test" or thorough cooking to neutralize potential alkaloids. 

Would you like to know more about the animals you might find to add protein to your 25-million-year-old soup?

If a human were transported 25 million years ago, what plants could be made into tisanes or teas

If transported 25 million years ago (Oligocene epoch), a human could likely survive on early, wild versions of fruits, nuts, and starchy tubers. Edible options would include wild berries, nuts like acorns or early walnuts, roots, leafy greens, legumes, and seeds. Foods would be less sweet, smaller, and more bitter than modern counterparts. 

Edible Plant Types 25 Million Years Ago

• Fruits and Berries: Early, wild varieties of wild grapes, raspberries, and pears.
• Nuts and Seeds: Early relatives of almonds, walnuts, macadamia nuts, and various acorns.
• Roots and Tubers: Starches found in water lily seeds (similar to Euryale ferox) and various plant rhizomes.
• Leaves and Greens: Various ferns, young nettles, and wild greens. 

Considerations

• Preparation: Many wild foods would require cooking, leaching, or drying to remove bitterness or toxins.
• Availability: While many types of plants found today existed, their modern domesticated forms did not. Early grasses and sedges were present, but the abundant cereal grains we know today did not exist.
• Environment: The food landscape was primarily tropical to subtropical in many areas, meaning tropical fruits and nuts would be more common than temperate ones in certain regions.

If a human were transported 25 million years ago, what plants would be edible?

If you were transported 25 million years ago to the late 

Oligocene or early Miocene, you would find a world surprisingly rich in recognizable but wild plant life. While modern grocery store varieties did not exist, the ancestors of many today's staples were already well-established. 

Edible Wild Fruits and Berries 

Ancient primates were already driving the evolution of large, sweet fruits as an adaptation for seed dispersal. 

• Stone Fruits (Prunus): Ancestors of peaches, plums, and cherries were present, though they were much smaller and had less flesh than modern versions.
• Apples and Pears (Maloideae): Early forms of these fruits were evolving in Eurasia, likely as a food source for large mammals and primates.
• Berries: Wild relatives of grapes and raspberries have been identified in fossil records from this general era.
• Figs and Palms: Tropical and subtropical regions offered dates and various palm fruits, which were staple foods for early hominoids. 

Nuts and Seeds

Many high-energy nuts we eat today have prehistoric lineages. However, many wild versions (like almonds) were originally toxic or extremely bitter and would require processing. 

• Walnuts and Hickory: Members of the Juglandaceae family, including ancestors of modern walnuts and pecans, were common in North American and Eurasian forests.
• Acorns: Oaks (Quercus) were widespread, providing a reliable source of starchy nuts that would likely need leaching to remove bitter tannins.
• Ginkgo Nuts: The Ginkgo biloba tree is a "living fossil" that was present 25 million years ago; its seeds are edible when cooked.
• Pine Nuts: Various 
  Pinaceae
   species were dominant in cooler regions, offering edible seeds within their cones. 

Vegetables and Tubers

Finding "vegetables" would mean looking for wild roots, stalks, and leaves. 

• Root Vegetables: Starchy tubers and rhizomes (similar to wild carrots or potatoes) were available underground.
• Leafy Greens: Relatives of modern mustard and various ferns (like fiddleheads) could be foraged.
• Aquatic Plants: In wetlands, you could find water chestnuts and the rhizomes of 
  water lilies
  , both of which have a long history of human consumption. 

Early Grains

The late Oligocene saw a massive expansion of grasslands. 

• Wild Cereals: While modern wheat and corn didn't exist, early ancestors of barley and wheat were beginning to proliferate. These wild grasses produced small, edible seeds that could be pounded into flour.
• Legumes: Wild peas, beans, and lentils were present in many environments, providing a critical source of protein. 

Critical Note: Many prehistoric plants contained high levels of toxins or "anti-nutrients" to discourage being eaten. Without the knowledge of which specific species are safe or how to detoxify them (through soaking or cooking), foraging would be extremely high-risk. 

Would you like to know more about the geography of where these plants were most abundant 25 million years ago?

25 million years ago early rice grass

Around 25 million years ago, during the late Oligocene epoch, early ancestors of modern rice grasses were part of a rapidly diversifying grass family (Poaceae) that was beginning to move from forests into more open habitats. This period represents a time when grasslands were beginning to expand, and the tribe that includes modern rice (Oryzeae) was emerging and differentiating from other grasses. 

• Early Rice Ancestors: Fossil evidence, specifically coprolite-encased phytoliths (silica plant remains), indicates that relatives of rice (within the tribe Oryzeae) already existed long before modern agriculture.
• Diversification & Appearance: While early grass roots go back over 100 million years, the specific lineages that led to modern wild rice (Oryza) grew in diversity during the Middle Miocene, but established populations of these early grasses existed in the Oligocene (34–23 million years ago).
• Environmental Context: 25 million years ago, open grasslands began to replace forests, particularly in North America and other parts of the world, driven by a changing, drier climate.
• Photosynthesis Shift: Around this time, some grasses were undergoing a major evolutionary shift, with C4 photosynthesis (a more efficient form of photosynthesis in warm, dry climates) thought to have appeared, or shortly after.
• Distinction from Cultivated Rice: The early "rice grass" from this period is a distant ancestor to the Oryza sativa domesticated in China only around 9,000–10,000 years ago. 

These ancient grasses, identified by their microscopic phytoliths, show that the ancestors of modern rice and bamboo were already established millions of years ago.

25 million years ago early rice grass

Around 

25 million years ago, during the Late Oligocene epoch, "early rice grass" (members of the Oryzeae tribe) was part of a major evolutionary shift as grasses began to diversify and spread across the planet. While modern rice (Oryza sativa) was only domesticated about 9,000 to 10,000 years ago, its ancestors were already well-established millions of years earlier. 

Key Evolutionary Milestones

• Ancient Origins: Recent discoveries of phytoliths (tiny silica structures in plants) in dinosaur dung suggest that the ancestors of rice existed as far back as 66–100 million years ago.
• The 25 Million Year Mark: This period aligns with the emergence of C4 photosynthesis in grasses, a more efficient way of processing carbon dioxide that allowed them to thrive in warmer, drier environments.
• Diversification: By approximately 34 million years ago, the rice tribe (Oryzeae) had already diverged from other grass lineages, setting the stage for the genus Oryza (modern rice) to emerge later, around the Middle Miocene (14–15 million years ago). 

Rise of the Grasslands

Around 25 million years ago, the Earth's climate began to cool and dry, leading to the replacement of many forests with open grasslands. These early "rice grasses" were likely wild, forest-dwelling or wetland-adapted plants rather than the vast open-field crops we see today. 

Would you like to know more about how dinosaur-era grasses differ from the rice we eat today?

what did the landmass around the UK look like 25 million years ago

25 million years ago (Oligocene/Miocene boundary), the landmass around the UK was subtropical and heavily heavily vegetated, far removed from the cold island nation of today. It was a low-lying landscape shaped by warm climates, rivers, and swamps, with the sea levels generally lower, although shifting frequently. 

• Subtropical Environment: The area was characterized by warm, humid conditions rather than cool, temperate ones, supporting dense forests and lush vegetation.
• Landscape Changes: The landscape was undergoing significant tectonic changes, with rivers depositing sediment into shallow basins and swamps, creating coal deposits in some areas.
• Geographical Position: The UK was still connected to mainland Europe as part of a continuous continental landmass, with no English Channel or North Sea separating them.
• Erosion and Sedimentation: Much of the landscape was being eroded, with sediments filling up older Cretaceous chalk basins.
• Fossils and Evidence: Evidence from this period includes fossilised plants, palm trees, and animal remains, indicating warm temperate to subtropical environments, far different from the glaciers that arrived much later. 

what did the landmass around the UK look like 25 million years ago

25 million years ago, during the 

Late Oligocene, the landmass that is now the 

United Kingdom

 did not exist as an island but was a largely submerged or low-lying part of the European continent. The geography was shaped by higher sea levels and massive tectonic shifts. 

Geographical Features 25 Million Years Ago

• A Continuous Landmass: Britain was a peninsular extension of mainland Europe, with no English Channel or North Sea as we know them today. The areas currently underwater were largely dry land or shallow, marshy basins.
• Volcanic Foundations: To the west and north (Scotland and Northern Ireland), the land was being reshaped by intense volcanic activity from a Mantle Plume—the same one that currently fuels Iceland. This created massive lava fields and mountain ranges.
• The Alpine Impact: In the south, the land was being "pushed" by the distant rising of the Alps, which caused the ground to fold and fault, creating the hills of the Dorset coast and the Weald.
• Submerged Plains: Much of southern and eastern England consisted of shallow-water deposits and clays. In previous millions of years, sea levels had been up to 300 meters higher, leaving much of the UK underwater. 

Climate and Environment

• Warmer Conditions: The climate was significantly warmer and more stable than today.
• Flora and Fauna: The landscape was likely covered in subtropical to warm-temperate vegetation. It was home to a variety of ancient mammals and flora that would eventually evolve into modern European species.
• River Systems: Massive "ancestral" river systems, such as the Ancestral Thames, began to form their basic routes across this continental extension, eventually carving the valleys that modern rivers still occupy. 

Would you like to see a comparison of how the coastline changed between this period and the first Ice Age?

what did the landmass around the Philippines look like 25 million years ago

AI Overview

View all

Around 25 million years ago (Oligocene-Miocene boundary), the Philippines did not exist as a single landmass but as a series of emerging volcanic island arcs. These islands were isolated from the Asian mainland, with ancestral Palawan and Mindanao blocks starting to collide, forming the earliest, fragmented Philippine archipelago. 

Key features included:

• Volcanic Origin: The islands primarily originated from volcanic activity in the Pacific Ocean, not from continental drift.
• Isolated Archipelago: The area existed as small, fragmented islands surrounded by deep ocean, rather than being attached to the Asian continent.
• Initial Collisions: Around 20–30 million years ago, tectonic plates (Pacific, Australian, and Indian) began driving these island fragments closer together.
• Birth of Palawan: The Palawan microcontinental block, which had separated from the South China Sea block, was drifting and beginning its collision with the Philippine Mobile Belt.
• Emergent Land: While mostly underwater or small islands, some larger, independent landmasses began to emerge, forming the basis for the modern archipelago. 

The modern-day Philippine archipelago continued to take shape through complex, ongoing collisions for millions of years following this period.

 what did the landmass around the Philippines look like 25 million years ago

25 million years ago, the landmass that would become the 

Philippines

 did not exist as a single archipelago but as a collection of isolated volcanic islands and drifting microcontinents. 

Geographic Appearance

Around this time (the Late Oligocene to Early Miocene), the region looked fundamentally different from today:

• Isolated Island Arcs: Most of the modern Philippine islands, such as 
  Luzon
   and 
  Mindanao
  , were separate volcanic arcs that had not yet collided to form a continuous chain.
• The Palawan Microcontinent: The 
  Palawan
   and 
  Mindoro
   blocks were pieces of the Asian mainland that had rifted away and were slowly drifting toward their current positions.
• Submerged Land: Large portions of what is now dry land were submerged under shallow seas, though some early islands were starting to emerge from the ocean floor due to tectonic activity.
• Open Sea Channels: Deep ocean channels separated these proto-islands from the Asian mainland, which prevented many land animals from reaching them. 

Tectonic and Global Context

• Australia’s Collision: This period marked a major tectonic shift as the Australian Plate began to collide with Southeast Asian island arcs. This collision caused significant rotation of the Philippine Sea Plate and initiated the formation of new trenches and mountain ranges.
• Closing Seaways: The convergence of plates was slowly closing the deep ocean that once separated Australia from Southeast Asia, forming the complex region now known as 
  Wallacea
  .
• Global Cooling: The transition from the Oligocene to the Miocene was characterized by a period of global cooling and expanding Antarctic ice sheets, which caused sea levels to fluctuate and influenced the early development of local marine life. 

Comparison: 25 Million Years Ago vs. Last Ice Age

It is a common misconception that the Philippines was part of a "lost continent" 25 million years ago. The vast landmass known as Sundaland only fully connected major islands like Borneo, Sumatra, and Java to the mainland during the much more recent Pleistocene Ice Ages (roughly 21,000 years ago), when sea levels were 120 meters lower. 

Would you like to see a more detailed breakdown of the tectonic plates that formed specific regions like 

Luzon

 or 

Mindanao

?

what did the landmass around California look like 25 million years ago

Twenty-five million years ago (late Oligocene/early Miocene), California was a rapidly changing landscape transitioning from a subduction zone to a transform fault system, characterized by widespread volcanic activity, coastal mountain formation, and lush, tropical to subtropical environments. The coast was much farther east, with much of modern coastal California still submerged or recently uplifted. 

Key Features of the Landscape:

• Volcanic Activity: A chain of volcanoes, part of the Sierra Nevada and Cascades, was active, producing features like the Nine Sisters volcanic plugs (partially formed around 20-25 million years ago).
• Coastal Transformation: The Farallon Plate was diving under the North American Plate, but it was starting to be replaced by the San Andreas transform system, causing dramatic uplifting of coastal mountains and fracturing.
• Flora and Fauna: The land was covered in oak forests, woodlands, and floodplains, inhabited by large mammals including early rhinos, camels, and horses, according to fossil records in the Sierra foothills.
• Sierra Nevada Elevation: The Sierra Nevada mountains were just beginning their massive upward tilt (a process accelerating around this time), but they were generally lower than today.
• Central California: The Central Valley began to take shape as a low-elevation rift and basin area, accumulating sediment (like the Mint Canyon Formation). 

The region was undergoing heavy erosion, sending sediments into sea basins, while the coastal areas were beginning to split and shift northwest, setting the stage for the modern San Andreas Fault system. 

what did the landmass around California look like 25 million years ago

25 million years ago, the landmass of 

California

 was in a major state of transition from a volcanic island chain to a more recognizable continental margin. During this time, known as the late Oligocene epoch, the region was characterized by a shifting coastline, the birth of the San Andreas Fault, and a different mountain landscape than we see today. 

Key Features of 25 Million-Year-Old California

• The Birth of the San Andreas Fault: This was the pivotal moment when the Pacific Plate first made contact with the North American Plate. Previously, an oceanic plate called the Farallon Plate was subducting (sliding underneath) California, but as it disappeared, the two major plates began sliding past each other, creating the San Andreas Fault system.
• A "Low" Sierra Nevada: The Sierra Nevada mountains were much lower than they are today. They were low enough that ancient rivers, with headwaters as far east as present-day Nevada, could flow directly across the range to reach the Pacific Ocean.
• Submerged Coastlines: Much of what is now coastal California was underwater. The Central Valley was a vast marine basin, and areas like the current San Francisco Bay and Orange County were part of the open ocean or shallow seas where marine sediments (like those of the Vaqueros Formation) were just beginning to accumulate.
• Widespread Volcanism: The state was a "hot spot" of volcanic activity. Magma was welling up to form features like the Nine Sisters (a chain of volcanic plugs in San Luis Obispo County) and contributing to the formation of the Cascade Range in the north.
• Ancient Wildlife: On the available dry land, the environment was home to early versions of modern mammals. You would have found primitive 
  camels
  , 
  three-toed horses
  , and early 
  rhinoceros
  -like animals roaming a landscape that was transitioning from humid forests to more seasonal grasslands. 

Would you like to see a map reconstruction of how the coastline specifically looked in a certain part of California, like the Bay Area or Soledad Basin?

see a map reconstruction of how the coastline specifically looked in a certain part of California, like the Bay Area

25 million years ago, the area we now call the 

San Francisco Bay

 did not exist. Instead, the region was part of a dynamic, primarily marine landscape where the ocean reached much further inland than it does today. 

The Paleogeography of the "Bay Area" (25 Mya)

• The Deep Ocean and Submerged Lands: Most of the modern Bay Area, including San Francisco, Oakland, and the Silicon Valley, was underwater at bathyal depths.
• The La Honda and San Joaquin Basins: These two basins were contiguous and forming a large, deep-sea fan system. Sediments that eventually became the Vaqueros Sandstone were being deposited in deep-sea fans by underwater currents.
• Displaced Landscapes: The rocks that currently make up the Santa Cruz Mountains were actually located about 315 to 320 km (nearly 200 miles) to the southeast, near present-day Bakersfield. They have since "slid" north along the San Andreas Fault over millions of years.
• The "Proto-Coast": To the east, the Sierra Nevada was a much lower range. Broad, ancient rivers flowed from the interior of Nevada across these low mountains and emptied directly into the ancestral San Joaquin Sea, a massive inland marine embayment that occupied the Central Valley.
• The Golden Gate Gap: There was no Golden Gate; that notch did not form until much later (roughly 0.63 million years ago) when an ancient lake in the Central Valley finally breached the coastal ranges. 

Visual Summary of the Region

Feature	25 Million Years Ago	Modern Day
Coastline	Located near the modern Sierra foothills.	Located at the Pacific Ocean/SF Bay.
SF Bay	Deep marine basin/open ocean.	Shallow estuary and urban center.
Sierra Nevada	Low-lying hills with cross-cutting rivers.	High, jagged alpine mountain range.
San Andreas Fault	Just beginning its first movements.	A 800-mile long major plate boundary.

Would you like to explore how the wildlife in this underwater and coastal world differed from what we see in California today?

what kinds of animals lived on earth 25 million years ago

March 17, 2026

25 million years ago, Earth was in a transition between the 

Oligocene and Miocene epochs. This period, often called the "Age of Mammals," featured animals that were "recognizably modern" but still included many bizarre, now-extinct giants. 

Land Animals

The spread of grasslands during this time led to a massive diversification of grazing and browsing mammals. 

• Mammalian Giants:
  • Indricotherium
    : One of the largest land mammals ever, a massive hornless 
    rhinoceros
     from Central Asia.
  • Entelodonts
    : Known as "hell pigs," these were aggressive, bone-crushing omnivores the size of a cow or larger.
  • Gomphotheres
    : Early ancestors of elephants that often had four tusks instead of two.
• Predators:
  • Bear-dogs
     (Amphicyonids): Powerful predators that combined the physical traits of bears and dogs.
  • Hyaenodon
    : Large-headed, carnivorous mammals that filled a niche similar to modern hyenas but were unrelated.
  • Nimravids
    : Often called "false saber-toothed cats," these were cat-like predators with large canine teeth.
• Early Modern Relatives:
  • Three-toed Horses
    : Small, early versions of horses like 
    Miohippus
     were common.
  • Apes
    : Early apes were beginning to diversify in Africa and Eurasia during the early Miocene.
  • Camels
     & 
    Rhinos
    : Early forms of camels and various rhinoceros species were widespread across North America. 

Marine Life

The oceans were dominated by massive predators and transitional marine mammals. 

• Megalodon
  : This legendary 50-foot-long shark first appeared around this time, becoming the ocean's apex predator.
• Early 
  Whales
  : Transitional species like 
  Aetiocetus
   and 
  Cetotherium
   roamed the seas, some possessing both teeth and baleen plates.
• Pinnipeds
  : The first ancestors of seals and walruses began to return to the sea.
• Desmostylians
  : Bizarre, hippopotamus-like marine mammals that lived along the coastlines but are now entirely extinct. 

Would you like to know more about a specific region or the climate changes that drove these animals to evolve?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desmostylia

what is the earliest evidence of an intentional burial

The earliest evidence of intentional burial, which has sparked significant scientific debate, comes from the Homo naledi species in South Africa's Rising Star cave system, dated to roughly 236,000 to 335,000 years ago. These remains were found in deliberately excavated, deep-cave pits, challenging the earlier belief that only Homo sapiens or Neanderthals buried their dead. 

• Homo naledi (Approx. 236,000–335,000 years ago): Found in the Rising Star cave system in South Africa, these burials include articulated skeletons in flexed, or curled-up, positions within intentionally made, deep-cave pits.
• Neanderthals (Approx. 60,000–70,000+ years ago): Early, confirmed burials of Neanderthals in Europe and Western Asia, such as at Shanidar Cave in Iraq, show evidence of being placed in shallow pits, often with signs of care, say this video on YouTube.
• Early Modern Humans (Approx. 100,000 years ago): The oldest known Homo sapiens burials are found at the Qafzeh Cave in Israel, which includes individuals buried with items such as red ocher.
• Oldest African Modern Human Burial (Approx. 78,000 years ago): Known as "Mtoto," this child was found buried in a fetal position in a pit at the Panga ya Saidi cave in Kenya. 

While the Homo naledi finds are the oldest, some scientists previously considered the 100,000-year-old Qafzeh site as the earliest definitive, "modern" burial, note this page on humanorigins.si.edu and this article on worldofpaleoanthropology.org. The Homo naledi evidence is considered controversial by some, but increasingly, it is recognized as a potential key to early burial rituals.

what is the earliest evidence of an intentional burial

The earliest evidence of intentional burial depends on whether you consider only modern humans (

Homo sapiens) or include ancient human relatives. 

Earliest Confirmed Burials (Modern Humans & Neanderthals)

Qafzeh

 and 

Skhul Caves

, Israel (~100,000 to 120,000 years ago): These sites hold the oldest widely accepted evidence of intentional burials by early Homo sapiens [2, 15, 20]. Remains were found with ritualistic items like red ochre and seashells [2, 20].

La Chapelle-aux-Saints

, France (~60,000 years ago): This is one of the most famous and well-documented early Neanderthal burial sites, where a skeleton was found in a pit that appeared to be deliberately dug [15].

Panga ya Saidi

, Kenya (~78,000 years ago): This site contains the oldest known human burial in Africa. Researchers found a child, nicknamed Mtoto, buried in a flexed position in a shallow pit, likely wrapped in a shroud [8, 9, 22]. 

Controversial "Earlier" Evidence

Rising-Star-Höhle

4.9

(10)

Cave

South Africa

In 2023, researchers led by Lee Berger claimed that a small-brained species called 

Homo naledi

 buried its dead and carved symbols on cave walls [19, 21, 23].

• The Debate: If confirmed, this would push intentional burial back by over 200,000 years [19]. However, many scientists remain skeptical, arguing that the evidence—initially published in preprints—does not yet definitively prove these were intentional burials rather than natural accumulations of bodies [16, 23, 26]. 

Earliest Evidence of Other Mortuary Practices

• Intentional Cremation (~9,500 years ago): The oldest known evidence of an in situ adult funeral pyre was discovered at the 
  Hora 1
   site in Malawi, involving a meticulously planned ritual by hunter-gatherers [28, 31, 36]. 

Would you like more details on the specific artifacts or rituals found at the 

Qafzeh

 or 

Rising Star

 sites?

Rising-Star-Höhle

View all

Directions

Save

Share

What to know

• Fossil Age: 

  The H. naledi fossils found deep in the cave are dated between 236,000 and 335,000 years old, much older than any known Homo sapiens graves. 
• Cave Access: 

  Reaching the chambers requires navigating extremely narrow, difficult passages, suggesting the bodies were intentionally transported there, not moved by water or natural events. 
• Associated Finds: 

  Near the remains and potential burial sites, researchers have documented abstract, geometric carvings like crosses and hashtags on the cave walls. 

Homo naledi

Source: National Geographic

Source: Ars Technica

Source: BBC

Homo naledi is an extinct species of archaic human from South Africa, characterized by a mosaic of primitive (ape-like) and modern (human-like) features, including curved fingers for climbing and human-like feet for walking, suggesting a mixed lifestyle. Discovered in 2013, it is classified in the genus Homo, but its exact placement in the human family tree is debated, with some research suggesting it's not a direct ancestor of modern humans. Its remains date to between 335,000 and 236,000 years ago, a time when Homo sapiens also lived in Africa.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo_naledi

which hominin species coexisted with Homo Sapiens

Several hominin species coexisted with Homo sapiens (modern humans) over the past 300,000 years, including Neanderthals, Denisovans, Homo floresiensis ("Hobbits"), Homo luzonensis, and Homo naledi. Homo erectus also likely overlapped with early Sapiens until around 110,000 years ago. 

• Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis): Lived in Europe and Asia, coexisting and interbreeding with H. sapiens until about 40,000–25,000 years ago.
• Denisovans: A distinct group related to Neanderthals, living in Asia and interbreeding with the ancestors of modern Pacific and Asian populations.
• Homo floresiensis: A small-bodied, small-brained species that survived on Flores Island, Indonesia, until roughly 50,000 years ago.
• Homo naledi: Discovered in South Africa, this species existed between 335,000 and 236,000 years ago, overlapping with early modern human origins.
• Homo luzonensis: A small hominin found in the Philippines, existing around 50,000 to 67,000 years ago.
• Homo erectus: The long-lived species persisted in Southeast Asia (Ngandong) until about 110,000 years ago, overlapping with the arrival of H. sapiens in the region. 

Many of these species, particularly Neanderthals and Denisovans, interbred with Homo sapiens, leaving genetic traces in modern human DNA.

which hominin species coexisted with Homo Sapiens

When 

Homo sapiens

 (modern humans) first emerged in Africa roughly 300,000 years ago, they were not the only human species on the planet. Our ancestors shared the Earth with several other hominins for hundreds of thousands of years, in some cases interbreeding with them before they went extinct. 

The primary hominin species that coexisted with Homo sapiens include: 

Neanderthals

 (

Homo neanderthalensis

): Our closest known relatives, they lived in Europe and Western Asia until approximately 40,000 years ago. Homo sapiens and 

Neanderthals

 overlapped for thousands of years, and most modern non-African populations carry about 2% Neanderthal DNA due to interbreeding.

Denisovans

: A "sister group" to 

Neanderthals

 known primarily from DNA and a few fossils found in Siberia and Tibet. They coexisted and interbred with modern humans in Asia as recently as 30,000 to 50,000 years ago. Their genetic legacy is most prominent in modern populations from Southeast Asia and Oceania.

Homo floresiensis

 ("The Hobbit"): A tiny species discovered on the island of Flores in Indonesia. They stood only about 1.1 meters (3.5 feet) tall and likely survived until roughly 50,000 to 60,000 years ago.

Homo luzonensis

: Another small-bodied hominin discovered in the Philippines. They lived as recently as 67,000 years ago, overlapping with the period when Homo sapiens began spreading through Southeast Asia.

Homo erectus

: One of the longest-surviving human species, 

H. erectus

 first appeared nearly 2 million years ago. While they vanished from most of the world much earlier, evidence suggests a remnant population may have persisted on the island of Java until roughly 108,000 to 117,000 years ago, potentially overlapping with early Homo sapiens.

Homo naledi

: A primitive, small-brained species found in South Africa. Dating indicates they lived between 236,000 and 335,000 years ago, meaning they existed in Africa at the same time early Homo sapiens were emerging.

Homo heidelbergensis

: Often considered the common ancestor of both Homo sapiens and 

Neanderthals

, this species survived in Africa and Eurasia until about 200,000 years ago, overlapping with early modern humans. 

By roughly 40,000 to 10,000 years ago, all of these other species had disappeared, leaving Homo sapiens as the sole surviving member of the human lineage. 

Would you like to know more about the genetic evidence of interbreeding or how these different species competed for resources?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interbreeding_between_archaic_and_modern_humans