Strange Old Skull: Human or Not? This fossil specimen is the
earliest largely complete example of an early modern human skull
known from Europe. But it shares some traits with Neanderthals,
suggesting the two might have interbred. CREDIT: Erik Trinkaus A
strange ancient skull recently uncovered adds to mounting
evidence that humans and Neanderthals interbred and suggests
that humans evolved considerably after settling the European
continent some 40,000 years ago. Modern humans emerged from
Africa about 150,000 years ago, according to the leading theory
(which has been challenged in recent years). The newfound skull
is thought to be from sometime in the first 5,000 years of human
habitation of Europe. The skull [image] is unlike anything
previously dug up. Researchers led by Joao Zilhao of the
University of Bristol and Erik Trinkaus of Washington University
compared the features of the cranium, found in a cave in
southwestern Romania, with other human samples from the time.
The reconstructed cranium is called