Posted by : Unknown 10 nov 2011

What was thought to be a cousin turns out to be parent on the human evolutionary family tree.

Consensus is building that Homo heidelbergensis, "Heidelberg Man," was the last common ancestor of Neanderthals and our species.
Anthropologists believe Heidelberg Man was tall and had a strong jaw holding small teeth.
The evolutionary split between Neanderthals and modern humans may have occurred around 400,000 years ago.

While many eyes are on Heidelberg Man as being the likely common ancestor to Neanderthals and our species, the jury is still out as to where that pivotal evolution took place.

The last common ancestor of humans and Neanderthals was a tall, well-traveled species called Heidelberg Man, according to a new PLoS One study.
The determination is based on the remains of a single Heidelberg Man (Homo heidelbergensis) known as "Ceprano," named after the town near Rome, Italy, where his fossil -- a partial cranium -- was found.
Previously, this 400,000-year-old fossil was thought to represent a new species of human, Homo cepranensis. The latest study, however, identifies Ceprano as being an archaic member of Homo heidelbergensis.