Homo Bodoensis

Homo bodoensis is a newly classified species of human ancestor who lived in Africa and parts of southeastern Europe during the Middle Pleistocene. Homo bodoensis is considered to be the most direct ancestor of our species of human, homo sapiens, our immediate forebears in Africa, and the immediate ancestors of the Neanderthal of Europe.

The Middle Pleistocene extends from about 774–129 ka, lasting for more than 600,000 years of relatively recent human Prehistory. The Middle Pleistocene saw a surprising variety of species of early human, our ancestors, walking the Earth at the same time. Homo erectus, homo heidelbergensis, homo rhodesiensis, Neanderthal, the Denisovans, homo floresiensis, and us, homo sapiens. In terms of the evolution of humans, this period has been called the the “muddle in the middle” (of the Pleistocene) because there were so many different types of humans alive, represented in the fossil record, without a definite system for categorization. The question remains as to whether certain species of early human were completely distinct from another, representing a unique species of human, or whether in some cases a difference merely represented a regional variation of the same species, as is the case in the difference of race today with modern humans. Hence the confusion in our understanding of human evolution during the Middle Pleistocene, which requires a clear system of categorization that takes into account variation of early human by geographic location.

The newly proposed name for the direct ancestor of Homo sapiens is Homo bodoensis. This phase of the human species arises from a type of human fossil found in both Africa and Europe. Their name “bodoensis” originates from a skull found in Bodo D’ar, Ethiopia. The remains of H. bodoensis were previously classified divergently as either belonging to Homo heidelbergensis or Homo rhodesiensis — exemplifying the problem of classification of our parent species — neither H. heidelbergensis nor H. rhodesiensis being definitively defined in their own right.

The classification of Homo Bodoensis is the result of an endeavor to precisely define and categorize human ancestor species, based on a study led by Dr. Mirjana Roksandic of the University of Winnipeg, Canada. They analyzed fossils found throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa, and chose the name “bodoensis” based on a region in Ethiopia, Africa — Bodo D’ar — where a skull of this species was found.

According to this new naming convention, it is suggested that the classification of Homo bodoensis will be used for most of the Middle Pleistocene humans from Africa (and a few from southeastern Europe), while most humans from Europe during this period will still be classified as Neanderthal. [1]

Notes

Resources

1. Homo Bodoensis: The New Species of Human Ancestor. Thomas Kissel. 1 Sept 2023. <https://greekreporter.com/2023/09/01/homo-bodoensis/>. Accessed 13 Sept 2023.