Experts Tested DNA From A Teenage Girl And Uncovered A New Type Of Human
Where did we come from? That simple question has long captivated mankind, although a comprehensive answer has proven difficult to pin down. Fierce debate still rages about the origins of our species, but every now and then a discovery emerges to add some real color to the story. This happened in 2015, when researchers working on an Indonesian island found a special skeleton hidden inside a cave. This thing arguably posed more questions than it answered — but it shook up the history books, in any case.
Welcome to Wallacea
The cave in question was in the Leang Panninge archaeological site, situated on the isle of Sulawesi. This is the largest island in the Wallacea group, which also includes Timor, Flores, and Lombok. For biologists and researchers concerned with the study of evolution, this region really is unlike any other.
Alfred Russel Wallace’s theory
Wallacea takes its name from the scientist Alfred Russel Wallace, who spent years exploring the region during the 19th century. Inspired by the unusual creatures he encountered there, Wallace formulated a theory of natural selection. It’s fair to say, then, these remarkable islands helped him to unlock many secrets about how nature really works.
Hidden secrets
During his trip to Wallacea, Wallace discovered thousands of previously unknown animal species. The region showed him a whole new side of the natural world, but even he couldn’t have realized the extent of the secrets hidden away there. Who knows what he might have made of the skeleton excavated from the Sulawesi cave in 2015?
Not like the others
This skeleton had belonged to a teenage girl, aged around 17 or 18 when she died. Amazingly, it seems that she’d lived well over 7,000 years ago. The discovery could be considered special for that reason alone, but there was more to it than that. This ancient lady was different. The experts had never seen anyone like her.
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