As the dentist explored his parents’ recently renovated European home, he made an unsettling discovery. A travertine floor tile along the hallway leading to the terrace concealed what seemed to be a human jawbone.
The tile, sliced diagonally, exposed a cross-section of several teeth. Unsure of how to proceed, the dentist sought advice on Reddit, sparking a wave of online fascination that ranged from eager curiosity to outright disgust.
The fossil discovery has drawn the interest of a global team of scientists who are keen to study it. They speculate that it might be from an ancient human ancestor.
According to John Kappelman, an anthropology professor at the University of Texas at Austin who focuses on hominid and hominin origins and evolution said, “if the specimen indeed belongs to a fossil hominin, it warrants thorough study and eventual display in a museum.”
Travertine, a limestone frequently employed in construction for its visual appeal and durability, typically originates near mineral springs. It occasionally harbors fossilized remnants of ancient life, including plant, algae, and animal fossils like those from rhinos and giraffes.
However, human remains within travertine are exceptionally scarce, as highlighted by University of Wisconsin paleoanthropologist John Hawks, as reported by Forbes.
In his blog post titled ‘How Many Bathrooms Conceal Neanderthals in the Tile?’ Dr. Hawks emphasizes the rarity of this specific find.
Mr. Hawks anticipates that the discovery of this jawbone will yield numerous surprises. The presence of well-preserved teeth and the abundance of surrounding rock suggest that experts will gain valuable insights into the life of the individual and the historical context in which they lived.
“From my dentist’s point of view I had no doubt it was some kind of human,” he told Forbes. “The teeth distribution and size of the mandible is characteristic. Also, the width of the cortex is specific to ancient humans.”
The European dentist, with expertise in dental implants, recognized that he wasn’t merely observing the natural pattern variations of stone tile. Instead, he saw several teeth staring up at him, leaving no doubt in his mind that they belonged to some form of human.
The dentist humorously dismissed the idea that the jawbone belonged to Jimmy Hoffa in a follow-up to his initial Reddit post.
He also chose not to disclose his own name or his parents’ location, emphasizing the importance of safeguarding the family’s privacy.
During his parents’ home upgrade, the dentist’s surprise was triggered by the unexpected discovery of a jawbone.
“It is very, very unusual to find vertebrate fossils in processed travertine tile, and hominin fossils 100 times more so,” Kappelman said. “We have only a handful.”
Kappelman and his team made a significant discovery when they identified the earliest evidence of tuberculosis on 500,000-year-old human skeletal remains. These remains were found by factory workers in Turkey who were cutting travertine tile for commercial purposes.
The scientists documented their findings in a 2007 publication in The American Journal of Physical Anthropology.
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