A reconstruction of ‘Lucy’ (public domain). Inset: One of the fossilized teeth discovered at Eppelsheim. Credit: The Museum of Natural History in Mainz。在德国Eppelsheim发现的人族牙齿。
介绍： 人族（学名：Hominini）是灵长目人科的一族，属于人亞科，其中只有人屬（Homo）以及黑猩猩屬（Pan）存活至今，包含了現代人類。
背景： 本族可分为两个亚族——人亞族与黑猩猩亞族。由于本族其他已滅絕的史前物种都归类于人亞族，因此黑猩猩屬是黑猩猩亞族的唯一成員。根據DNA比對，人屬與黑猩猩屬經過了超過400萬年的物種形成時間，大約於540萬到630萬年前分开演化。在現存物種之中，黑猩猩和倭黑猩猩与人类的演化关系最密切，三者的共同祖先大約生活在700萬年前 。美國科學家在1973年發現人與黑猩猩有99%DNA相似度。（这是迄今为止的理论， 不包括最新的德国9.7百万年的人族牙齿）
本文大意： 最近，在德国Mainz展出了发现于Eppelsheim的9.7百万年前的人族牙齿。 此前在希腊的克里特岛发现了大约5.7百万年前的人族脚印。 此两项发现，向‘人类从非洲走出’论，提出最强挑战。 据人类自非洲走出理论， 人族在大约5百万年前生活在非洲，有著名的‘露西’。 这个新发现的牙齿是只有非洲人族5百万年前才有的牙齿。 可是德国最新发现的同类牙齿，时间先于非洲的人族牙齿， 大约在9.8百万年前。 人类是从欧洲走到非洲？ 还是从什么其他地方走到欧洲？ 非洲， 亚洲？ 欧洲？ 人族的欧洲足迹是否会为‘人类走出非洲’论棺木钉钉？
Archaeologists have made a discovery so sensational that they have waited 1 year to announce it as they had to be sure they had the dating correct. A set of teeth belonging to an early hominin species has been found in Germany that dates back 9.7 million years. Could this finding be another nail in the coffin for the out-of-Africa theory of human origins?
It was only one month ago that scientists made the surprising announcement of 5.7 million-year-old hominin footprints on the island of Crete in Greece. Many responded with disbelief, as such a discovery suggests that the earliest human ancestors wandered around Europe at the same time or even earlier than Africa, drawing into question the widely-believed theory that humans emerged in Africa before spreading out to the rest of the world. Now the finding of 9.7 million-year-old hominin teeth in Germany supports the possibility that the out-of-Africa theory is wrong.
克里特脚印，The early hominin footprints discovered on Crete. Credit: Matthew Robert Bennett
The Museum of Natural History in Mainz announced that the fossilized teeth were discovered in the former riverbed of the Rhine in the western German town of Eppelsheim near Mainz. The Ur-Rhine, as it is known, is a hotbed for fossil remains. In just 15 years, scientists have found 25 new species among the fossilized remains.
The teeth were unearthed in a layer of sediment next to the skeletal remains of an extinct horse-like animal, and this helped with the dating process.
The fossilized teeth were found in a layer of sediment next to an extinct species of horse. The Museum of Natural History in Mainz
The teeth are believed to belong to a species that is most similar to the famous ‘Lucy’, who belongs to the Australopithecus Afarensis species, one of the first known relatives of humans. However, until now, this species is only known to have existed in Africa some 4 million years later!
"They are clearly ape-teeth," head of the team Herbert Lutz was quoted as saying by local online news outlet Merkurist (link in German) . "Their characteristics resemble African finds that are four to five million years younger than the fossils excavated in Eppelsheim. This is a tremendous stroke of luck, but also a great mystery."
A reconstruction of a female Australopithecus afarensis.
In a press conference, the Mayor of Mainz, Michael Ebling, said the discovery could lead to a complete overhaul of what we currently believe to be true about human origins.
"I would hypothesize that we shall have to start rewriting the history of mankind after today," Ebling said.
Two of the fossilized teeth discovered at Eppelsheim. Credit: The Museum of Natural History in Mainz
The teeth are currently being examined in detail by a team of scientists and the first paper to report on the finding will be published in one week, and will be available on Researchgate.
It is unclear at this stage how the scientific community will respond to such a shocking discovery. Will we begin to see revisions to the widely-believed out-of-Africa theory? Only time will tell.
Top image: A reconstruction of ‘Lucy’ (public domain). Inset: One of the fossilized teeth discovered at Eppelsheim. Credit: The Museum of Natural History in Mainz
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