Bones from human face up to 1.4m years old found in Spain

Bone fragments unearthed at an ancient cave in Spain belong to the oldest known human face in western Europe, researchers say.

- Ian Sample

The fossilized remains make up the left cheek and upper jaw of an adult member of an extinct human species who lived and died on the Iberian peninsula between 1.1m and 1.4m years ago. The discovery suggests at least two forms of early human occupied the region in the Pleistocene.

"This paper introduces a new actor in the story of human evolution in Europe," said Dr Rosa Huguet of the University of Rovira i Virgili in southern Catalonia, who helped uncover the fossils at the Sima del Elefante (Pit of the Elephant) cave in Burgos.

Early humans reached Eurasia from Africa at least 1.8m years ago, as evidenced by five skulls dating from the period in Dmanisi in Georgia. The skulls are attributed to Homo erectus, the first human species to have left the African continent.