Oldest Homo sapiens fossils found

Updated 11:00 AM ET, Mon April 9, 2018

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The oldest fossil remains of Homo sapiens, dating back 300,000 years, <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/07/health/oldest-homo-sapiens-fossils-found/index.html">were found</a> at a site in Jebel Irhoud, Morocco. This is 100,000 years older than previously discovered fossils of Homo sapiens that have been securely dated. <br /> <br />The fossils, including a partial skull and a lower jaw, belong to five different individuals including three young adults, an adolescent and a child estimated to be 8 years old.

Photos: Oldest Homo sapiens fossils found

The oldest fossil remains of Homo sapiens, dating back 300,000 years, were found at a site in Jebel Irhoud, Morocco. This is 100,000 years older than previously discovered fossils of Homo sapiens that have been securely dated.

The fossils, including a partial skull and a lower jaw, belong to five different individuals including three young adults, an adolescent and a child estimated to be 8 years old.

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Photos: Oldest Homo sapiens fossils found

Before mining, the area of the excavation site was a cave where early hominins could take shelter and clean and cook the animals they hunted.

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Photos: Oldest Homo sapiens fossils found

This is a composite reconstruction of the oldest Homo sapiens fossils found in Morocco, using scans of original fossils found at the site.

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Photos: Oldest Homo sapiens fossils found

While the facial features appear more modern and comparative to ours, the brain case is elongated. This suggests that the brain shape and function evolved in these early Homo sapiens.

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Photos: Oldest Homo sapiens fossils found

Two of the fossils, including a crushed skill and partial femur, can be seen in the center of this image.

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The earliest modern human fossil ever found outside of Africa, estimated to be between 177,000 and 194,000 years old, <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2018/01/25/health/oldest-modern-human-fossil-israel-intl/index.html" target="_blank">was recovered</a> in Israel.<br /><br />This suggests that modern humans left Africa at least 50,000 years earlier than previously believed.

Photos: Oldest Homo sapiens fossils found

The earliest modern human fossil ever found outside of Africa, estimated to be between 177,000 and 194,000 years old, was recovered in Israel.

This suggests that modern humans left Africa at least 50,000 years earlier than previously believed.

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