Shit Could be Key to Missing Link
Who knew poop could be so interesting?
The oldest known human hairs could be the strands discovered in fossil hyena poop found in a South African cave, a new study hints.
It’s not clear which species the newfound human hairs are from, since the human fossil record for this time span is exceedingly limited, the researchers say.
But the hairs’ age “covers just before when we think modern humans emerged, and overlaps with the existence and end of Homo heidelbergensis,” said study co-author Lucinda Backwell, a paleoanthropologist at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Scanning-electron-microscope images revealed wavy bands of scales on the hairs—a pattern typical of modern primates, with human hair being the closest match.
Oldest Human Hair Found in Hyena Poop Fossil?
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