A breakthrough in human evolution: who was the first human to leave Africa?

One of the most important questions in human evolution concerns the identity of the first human to leave Africa. A new study, however, fundamentally challenges the central role traditionally attributed to Homo erectus and suggests that humanity’s first major migration began much earlier, through far more complex evolutionary processes.

Skulls discovered at Dmanisi in Georgia, dating back nearly 1.85 million years, call into question the long-held theory that Homo erectus was the first human species to leave Africa. According to recent research, the remains not only represent more than one human species but also point towards a far more complex, mosaic pattern of human evolution, reports IFLScience.

The remains of the human who left Africa

The earliest human fossils found outside Africa originate from Dmanisi, Georgia, and are approximately 1.85 million years old. For a long time, these skulls were collectively classified as Homo georgicus, which researchers regarded as an archaic variant of Homo erectus. This interpretation fitted well with the idea that Homo erectus was the first human to leave Africa.

However, since their discovery, the Dmanisi finds have caused considerable debate about human evolution within the scientific community. The skulls differ strikingly from one another in both size and shape, to such an extent that some specimens appear almost diminutive compared to others. For many years, this variation was explained by sexual dimorphism, meaning significant anatomical differences between males and females.

Not all researchers accepted this explanation, and an increasing number began to suggest that the Dmanisi site may in fact preserve the remains of several different human species.

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Two species, one site

A recent study has shed new light on the issue. Researchers analysed the dental characteristics of three Dmanisi specimens and compared them with 583 fossil teeth belonging to other ancient human species. Based on the results, they concluded that the assemblage represents two distinct species: the already known Homo georgicus and a newly identified species, Homo caucasicus.

This finding fundamentally undermines the notion that the first human to leave Africa was a single, clearly defined species. Instead, it appears that several human ancestors may have coexisted in Eurasia at the same time.

A possible link to Lucy

One of the most intriguing outcomes of the research is that the dental morphology of Homo georgicus shows strong similarities to that of the australopithecines. These beings lived before the emergence of the genus Homo, and their most famous representative is the world-renowned Lucy.

This resemblance raises the question of whether relatives of Lucy’s species may have been the first humans to leave Africa. According to the study, the evidence does not demonstrate that australopithecines left Africa earlier than members of the genus Homo. Rather, it suggests that the human who left Africa belonged to transitional forms between Homo habilis and Homo erectus, which still retained many archaic, australopithecine-like traits.

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The beginning of a mosaic human evolution theory?

Archaeologists also put forward additional arguments to support this view. Stone tools discovered in Jordan and Romania predate the appearance of Homo erectus, indicating that the first human to leave Africa may have been closer to Homo habilis.

According to the researchers, the two Dmanisi species may have evolved from different Homo habilis populations that lived for extended periods across various regions of Eurasia, adapting to local environmental conditions. These groups may later have encountered one another in what is now Georgia, where they coexisted for a time.

This interpretation significantly refines our understanding of early human evolution and migration. Rather than a single, unified wave, the evidence points to multiple, highly complex and mosaic-like processes.

The Dmanisi finds fundamentally challenge Homo erectus-centred theories. Although many questions remain unanswered, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: the story of the first human to leave Africa is far more complex and far more fascinating than previously thought.