Photo of actor as Omo-1

Omo-1: no older modern human has so far been found

Quiz: How to recognize a modern human

The phrase "Homo sapiens" is the scientific classification given to modern people and comes from the Latin for "wise man."

All Homo sapiens share distinctive skeletal features which make fossil remains recognizable to scientists. These include: a high, rounded braincase, a small face that is "tucked" in under the skull, and small or absent brow ridges around the eyes.

Perhaps most easy-to-spot, modern humans are the only hominid with a forward pointing "pointy" chin.

Question: Which of the following fossil faces belongs to a modern human?

skull outline
skull outline
skull outline

Try again.

This face sticks out too much, and is not tucked in under the skull.

Try again.

This face sticks out too much, and is not tucked in under the skull. Also, the chin is pointing backwards, not forwards like would be expected of a modern human.

Correct!

Just by looking for a forward pointing chin it's possible to pick out a modern human.

Since the Omo-1 remains did not include a chin, scientists were able to confirm his modern human status by analyzing his high, rounded brain case, which was smooth, and without features diagnostic of archaic humans.

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