Homo antecessor’s facial features, as seen in this reconstruction of a boy who lived 800,000 years ago in Gran Dolina, Spain, have long puzzled anthropologists.
By Michael PriceWhen it comes to deciphering our ancient family tree, DNA from fossils is the new gold standard. But after about half a million years, even the best-preserved DNA degrades into illegibility, leaving the story of our early evolution shrouded in mystery.
A new study of proteins taken from the tooth of an enigmatic human ancestor reveals his rough place in the family tree—and shows how ancient proteins can push beyond the limits of DNA.The new study is “a landmark paper,” says Mark Collard, an archaeologist at Simon Fraser University who wasn't involved with the work.