Buried beneath the sea off the coast of Indonesia, scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery that could rewrite the story of human origins.
The skull of Homo erectus, an ancient human ancestor, was discovered over 140,000 years after it was first buried, preserved beneath layers of silt and sand in the Madura Strait between the islands of Java and Madura.
Experts say the site may be the first physical evidence of the lost world, a prehistoric landmass known as Sundaland that once connected Southeast Asia in a vast tropical plain.
Alongside the skull bones, researchers recovered 6,000 of animal fossils of 36 species including those of Komodo dragons, buffalos, deer, and elephant.
Some of these had deliberate cut marks which is a proof that early humans were practicing advanced hunting strategies.
These findings provide rare insight into ancient human life and the now-lost lands of Sundaland, offering a glimpse into the behaviors and adaptations of early human populations in response to environmental changes.
The fossils were discovered by maritime sand miners in 2011, but experts just recently established their age and species, marking an important milestone in paleoanthropology.
‘This period is characterized by great morphological diversity and mobility of