These “spots,” particularly the eastern branch of the East African Rift System, have provided the most important fossils of early humans, but represent “only a small fraction of the continental surface.” The study, led by W. Andrew Barr and Bernard Wood, emphasizes that the density of fossils at sites such as Oldupai Gorge “may not fully reflect the diversity and distribution of early human ancestors.”
By analyzing the distribution of modern mammals and the diversity in their skulls, the study authors showed that the cleft system covers only 1.6% of the geographic range of many living species, less than half the diversity observed in primate skulls from Africa.
Barr and Wood’s work highlights the importance of acknowledging this bias when interpreting human evolution. The researchers say the fossil’s “points of interest” provide “invaluable information” but do not provide “a complete picture of ancient human life.” They advocate expanding fossil-hunting efforts beyond these well-studied areas to address this gap.
Source: Ferra
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