VOA慢速英语2018--沙特阿拉伯发现九万年前的指骨

Ancient Finger Bone Found in Saudi Arabia is 90,000 Years Old

A finger bone is pointing to what scientists are calling a new understanding of how ancient human beings came out of Africa and began settling the rest of the world.

The middle bone of an adult’s middle finger were unearthed¹ in the Nefud Desert of Saudi Arabia. It was found in an area called Al Wusta. Testing has dated the fossilized remains² to about 90,000 years ago.

Researchers reported that it is the oldest Homo sapiens fossil ever found outside of Africa and the eastern Mediterranean³ Levant area. They also said it is the first human fossil from the Arabian peninsula.

While the Nefud Desert is now a sea of sand, it was green when this Homo sapiens lived. The researchers say the area was once a grasslands⁴, filled with wildlife, near a freshwater lake.

Our human ancestors first appeared in Africa about 300,000 years ago. Scientists once thought Homo sapiens left Africa in a single, fast migration⁵ some 60,000 years ago. It was thought they moved along coastal⁶ areas, eating fish and other sea creatures, said Michael Petraglia. He is an anthropologist⁷ with the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Germany.

This fossil bone, measuring 3.2 centimeters from end to end, suggests our species left Africa much earlier.

Petraglia explained that the fossil supports the idea that Homo sapiens did not move all at one time, but slowly and over many years. The discovery also shows these people were moving across the interior of the land, not just along the coastline, he added.

Near the fossil finger, scientists also discovered many animal fossils, University of Oxford⁸ archeologist Huw Groucutt said. Bite marks on fossilized bones showed that meat-eaters lived in the area.

Stone tools that hunter-gatherers used also were found.

“The big question now is what became of the ancestors of the population to which the Al Wusta human belonged,” Groucutt said.

“We know that shortly after they lived, the rains failed and the area dried up. Did this population die out? Did it survive further south in Arabia?” Groucutt asked. He noted⁹ that the drying environment many have pushed them into Eurasia.

A report on the findings was published in the magazine Nature Ecology and Evolution.

I’m Susan Shand.

Words in This Story

fossil – n. remains of an organism from the past

homo sapiens - n. the human beings that exist today

peninsula – n. a piece of land that is almost completely surrounded by water and connected to a larger land area

migration – n. the act of moving from one place to live or work to another

anthropologist - n. someone who studies human races, societies, and cultures

interior – n. the inner part of something; inside

1 unearthed   

出土的（考古）

参考例句：

• Many unearthed cultural relics are set forth in the exhibition hall. 展览馆里陈列着许多出土文物。
• Some utensils were in a state of decay when they were unearthed. 有些器皿在出土时已经残破。

2 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

3 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

4 grasslands   

n.草原，牧场( grassland的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Songs were heard ringing loud and clear over the grasslands. 草原上扬起清亮激越的歌声。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Grasslands have been broken and planted to wheat. 草原已经开垦出来，种上了小麦。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

6 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

7 anthropologist   

n.人类学家，人类学者

参考例句：

• The lecturer is an anthropologist.这位讲师是人类学家。
• The anthropologist unearthed the skull of an ancient human at the site.人类学家在这个遗址挖掘出那块古人类的颅骨。

8 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

9 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。