Oldest Homo sapiens fossil found in Morocco
In 2017, researchers reassessed fossils from Jebel Irhoud, Morocco, and dated them to roughly 315,000 years old, pushing the emergence of Homo sapiens deeper into Africa and portraying it as a continental process rather than a single cradle. Through uranium-thorium dating of calcite and enamel ESR, the team found a blend of archaic and modern traits across multiple individuals, suggesting widespread African roots.
