For decades, the "Out of Africa" hypothesis, often dubbed the African Eve model, has dominated discussions about human origins. It's been the go-to narrative, painting Africa as the sole cradle of human evolution, serving an obvious racial narrative. But a groundbreaking fossil discovery in Türkiye, Anadoluvius turkae, is shaking the foundations of this long-standing woke dogma. This 8.7-million-year-old ape, unearthed at the Çorakyerler site, isn't just another fossil, it's a direct challenge to the idea that our ancestors evolved exclusively in Africa. Bolstered by a growing body of evidence from across Europe and beyond, the case for a multi-regional origin of hominins is stronger than ever. The African Eve hypothesis is crumbling and a multi-regional model, with Europe as a key player, is rewriting the story of human evolution.

The star of the show is Anadoluvius turkae, an 8.7-million-year-old fossil ape from Türkiye. Its well-preserved partial skull, complete with most of the face and part of the braincase, offers a treasure trove of anatomical clues. Unlike fragmented fossils that leave scientists guessing, this find allowed researchers, led by Professor David Begun of the University of Toronto and Professor Ayla Sevim Erol of Ankara University, to conduct a detailed analysis. Their conclusion? Hominins, our ancestors and those of African apes, if you accept evolution, were thriving in Europe and Anatolia, evolving there for over five million years before any trace of them appears in Africa.

But Anadoluvius isn't alone. Europe's fossil record is bursting with early hominins, like Ouranopithecus from Greece (9.6–8.7 million years ago) and Graecopithecus from Bulgaria (7.2 million years ago), which share anatomical features with early African hominins. These fossils aren't outliers; they form a cohesive lineage suggesting that hominins diversified across Europe and Anatolia. Adding to this, the 12-million-year-old Dryopithecus from Spain and the 10-million-year-old Rudapithecus from Hungary show traits like thickened tooth enamel and robust jaws, hinting at adaptations that later appear in African hominins. This rich European record starkly contrasts with Africa's complete lack of hominin fossils before 7 million years ago, challenging the idea that human evolution was an exclusively African affair.

The environment Anadoluvius inhabited, dry forests and grasslands similar to early African human habitats, suggests Europe was a viable cradle for hominin evolution. This isn't just speculation. The Çorakyerler site reveals an ecosystem with giraffes, rhinos, antelopes, and lion-like carnivores, mirroring the fauna that later appears in African grasslands. This faunal overlap supports a dispersal event from the eastern Mediterranean to Africa after 8 million years ago, likely driven by shrinking forests and changing climates. Hominins, like these other mammals, could have followed suit, spreading from Europe to Africa and possibly other regions.

Further evidence for a multi-regional model comes from the broader Miocene ape record. Fossils from Asia, such as Sivapithecus (12.5–8.5 million years ago) from the Indian subcontinent, show traits like robust jaw structures that parallel those in European and later African hominins. This suggests that hominin evolution wasn't confined to one region but involved complex migrations and adaptations across Europe, Asia, and eventually Africa. The idea of a single African origin ignores these interconnected ecological and fossil records, which point to a dynamic, multi-regional evolutionary process.

Supporters of African Eve lean on genetic evidence, pointing to mitochondrial DNA that suggests a shared African ancestry for modern humans. But this is a half-truth. Genetic data only captures recent human populations, it doesn't rule out earlier hominin evolution in Europe or Asia. Anadoluvius, Sivapithecus, and their European cousins could have migrated to Africa 9–7 million years ago, setting the stage for later African evolution while still fitting the genetic picture. Focusing solely on DNA while ignoring the broader fossil record is like reading the last chapter of a book and pretending you know the whole story.

Another defence is that Africa's fossil record might be incomplete due to poor preservation in tropical climates. This is a convenient excuse, but it doesn't hold up. Europe's temperate regions and Asia's varied environments have yielded a steady stream of hominin fossils, while Africa remains silent before 7 million years ago. If African Eve were true, we'd expect some early traces in Africa, not a complete blank. The absence of evidence, coupled with Europe and Asia's robust records, points to a multi-regional origin.

The African Eve hypothesis has enjoyed an almost sacred status, but science thrives on challenge, not complacency. Anadoluvius turkae, alongside Dryopithecus, Rudapithecus, Sivapithecus, and others, isn't just a collection of fossils, it's a wake-up call. These finds tell us that human evolution wasn't a straight line confined to one continent. Europe and Asia, with their diverse apes and shifting ecosystems, were likely key hubs in a multi-regional network, with hominins dispersing to Africa as part of a broader mammalian migration. The status quo's insistence on an Africa-only origin ignores this mounting evidence and stifles exploration of understudied regions like Anatolia and South Asia.

We need more fossils from the 8–7 million-year-old window to confirm this multi-regional model, but the tide is turning. Anadoluvius and its counterparts demand that we rethink where we came from and question the narratives we've taken for granted. It's time to let go of the politically correct African Eve and embrace a bolder, messier, and far more exciting story of human origins, one that spans continents and rewrites our evolutionary past.

https://www.earth.com/news/fossil-discovery-anadoluvius-turkae-suggests-humans-originated-in-europe-not-africa/

"A recent discovery in Türkiye is shaking up our understanding of human evolution. Scientists have identified a new fossil ape, Anadoluvius turkae, from an 8.7-million-year-old site near Çankırı.

This find challenges the long-held belief that human ancestors evolved solely in Africa, suggesting instead that Europe played a significant role in our evolutionary history.

The fossil, uncovered at the Çorakyerler site with support from Türkiye's Ministry of Culture and Tourism, reveals that Mediterranean fossil apes were more diverse than previously thought.

These apes are part of the earliest known group of hominins, which includes not only African apes like chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas but also humans and their fossil ancestors.

Out of Africa? Maybe not

This discovery adds weight to the theory that the ancestors of African apes and humans may have evolved in Europe before migrating to Africa between nine and seven million years ago.

Professor David Begun from the University of Toronto and Professor Ayla Sevim Erol from Ankara University led the international team of researchers who conducted the study.

"Our findings further suggest that hominines not only evolved in western and central Europe but spent over five million years evolving there and spreading to the eastern Mediterranean before eventually dispersing into Africa, probably as a consequence of changing environments and diminishing forests," explained Professor Begun.

"The members of this radiation to which Anadoluvius turkae belongs are currently only identified in Europe and Anatolia."

The conclusion drawn from the study is based on the analysis of a well-preserved partial cranium discovered in 2015.

This fossil includes most of the facial structure and the front part of the braincase, providing valuable insights into the ape's anatomy.

"The completeness of the fossil allowed us to do a broader and more detailed analysis using many characters and attributes that are coded into a program designed to calculate evolutionary relationships," Begun explained.

"The face is mostly complete, after applying mirror imaging. The new part is the forehead, with bone preserved to about the crown of the cranium. Previously described fossils do not have this much of the brain case."

Life of Anadoluvius turkae

Anadoluvius was roughly the size of a large male chimpanzee, weighing between 50-60 kilograms. This size is notably large for a chimp and is comparable to the average size of a female gorilla, which weighs around 75-80 kilograms.

The fossil suggests that Anadoluvius lived in a dry forest environment and likely spent a significant amount of time on the ground.

"We have no limb bones but judging from its jaws and teeth, the animals found alongside it, and the geological indicators of the environment, Anadoluvius probably lived in relatively open conditions, unlike the forest settings of living great apes," said Professor Sevim Erol.

"More like what we think the environments of early humans in Africa were like. The powerful jaws and large, thickly enameled teeth suggest a diet including hard or tough food items from terrestrial sources such as roots and rhizomes."

Sharing Earth with Anadoluvius turkae

The ecosystem in which Anadoluvius lived was similar to today's African grasslands and dry forests. It coexisted with animals such as giraffes, warthogs, rhinos, diverse antelopes, zebras, elephants, porcupines, hyenas, and lion-like carnivores.

Research indicates that this ecological community likely dispersed into Africa from the eastern Mediterranean sometime after eight million years ago.

"The founding of the modern African open country fauna from the eastern Mediterranean has long been known and now we can add to the list of entrants the ancestors of the African apes and humans," Erol added.

Why is this a big deal?

Anadoluvius turkae is positioned on the evolutionary tree alongside other fossil apes from nearby regions, such as Ouranopithecus from Greece and Graecopithecus from Bulgaria.

These fossils are the best-preserved specimens of early hominins and offer the strongest evidence to date that this group originated in Europe before moving into Africa.

The study's detailed analysis shows that Balkan and Anatolian apes evolved from ancestors in western and central Europe.

This suggests that the entire group of hominins likely evolved and diversified in Europe, rather than separate branches moving independently into Europe from Africa over millions of years and then going extinct.

"There is no evidence of the latter, though it remains a favorite proposal among those who do not accept a European origin hypothesis," Begun noted.

"These findings contrast with the long-held view that African apes and humans evolved exclusively in Africa. While the remains of early hominins are abundant in Europe and Anatolia, they are completely absent from Africa until the first hominin appeared there about seven million years ago."

What happens next?

While the discovery of Anadoluvius turkae provides compelling evidence for a European origin of hominines, it does not definitively prove the theory.

More fossils from Europe and Africa, dating between eight and seven million years old, are needed to establish a clear connection between the two regions.

This new evidence supports the hypothesis that hominins originated in Europe and dispersed into Africa along with many other mammals between nine and seven million years ago, though it does not definitively prove it.

"For that, we need to find more fossils from Europe and Africa between eight and seven million years old to establish a definitive connection between the two groups," Begun concluded.

Anadoluvius turkae and human origins

To sum it all up, if hominines did indeed originate in Europe, it could reshape our understanding of how and where humans evolved.

It also highlights the importance of fossil sites outside of Africa, which have been underexplored in the quest to trace human origins.

Anadoluvius turkae adds a new species to the fossil record while providing a fresh perspective on the evolutionary journey of hominins.

By bridging the gap between European and African fossil records, this discovery encourages scientists to revisit existing theories and consider new possibilities in the story of human origins.

As researchers continue to analyze the fossil and search for more evidence, the story of Anadoluvius turkae will undoubtedly play a pivotal role in shaping our understanding of where we come from and how we evolved."