Early Human Ancestor Found to be More Leopard Prey than Predator Thanks to AI
It is a long -standing belief that one of our first ancestors, Homo Habiliswas the first of our kind to go from prey to the predator. Archaeological evidence suggests that they were among the first meat eaters and the first to use stone tools.
However, new research published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences Can change what we know H. Habilis. Thanks to AI technology, researchers revealed that instead of attacking leopards, leopards have probably dined on H. Habilis.
“AI changes the game,” said Manuel Domínguez-Rodrigo, anthropologist at Rice University, in a press release. “These are push methods that have been stable for 40 years beyond what we imagine. For the first time, we can determine not only that these humans were eaten but by whom. ”
Who was Homo Habilis?
H. Habilis lived in East Africa and Southern Africa about 2.4 million years ago to 1.4 million years. They were probably held that 3 to 4 feet high and were nicknamed “Handyman” due to the proof of early use of stone tools.
According to the new study, H. Habilis was not alone. Fossil discoveries indicate that Africa Homo erectus lived H. Habilis About 2 million years ago. This raises the question of which group was really the first to start using stone tools and consuming animal meat in a predatory way.
While many agreed that H. Habilis If predators, the new study suggest that they were also the prey of leopards.
Learn more: Homo erectus: What do we know about our first ancestors?
IA and Fossil analysis
For this study, Domínguez-Rodrigo led a research team from Rice and the archaeological and paleontological museum of Madrid, in collaboration with the Institute of Evolution in Africa (Idea). After using AI to scan fossil remains, the team came to the conclusion that the leopards probably attack H. Habilis.
“We discovered that these very first humans were eaten by other carnivores instead of mastering the landscape at the time,” said Domínguez-Rodrigo in a press release.
The AI tools used to analyze fossils allowed the research team to see the remains in a way that they would not have been able to use traditional methods. According to the study, Domínguez-Rodrigo is one of the first anthropologists to use AI for “specific analysis of the bone surface damage”. The use of these tools can help train models to identify the microscopic bite marks of predators.
“Human experts were good to find changes to prehistoric bones,” Domínguez-Rodrigo said in a press release. “But there were too many carnivores at that time. Ai has opened new understanding doors. “
The future meets the past
During their research, the team formed AI models to identify and distinguish bite marks between lions, leopards, wolves, hyenas and crocodiles. After analyzing various H. Habilis The fossils found in the Olduvai gorges, in Tanzania, the coherent bite marks were aligned with those of the leopards.
These results show that even if at that time, the first humans began to evolve and develop the ability to use tools, they were always vulnerable to predators.
“The beginning of the human brain does not mean that we master immediately,” said Domínguez-Rodrigo in a press release. “It’s a more complex story. These first humans, these Homo Habiliswere not those responsible for this transformation. »»
According to Domínguez-Rodrigo, there is still a lot to learn, and as AI progress, it could help discover more mysteries around the evolution of our first ancestors.
Learn more: What we know about Homo Habilis
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