Discovery of 'Pink' Fossil Redefines Early Human History in Western Europe

Newly analyzed remains from Spain's Sima del Elefante site suggest at least two human species coexisted in the region over a million years ago.

'Pink' is the nickname for a 1.1 to 1.4-million-year-old fossil discovered in 2022 at the Sima del Elefante site in Atapuerca, Spain.
The fossil consists of part of the upper jaw and cheekbone, making it the oldest known human facial remains in Western Europe.
Researchers have provisionally classified 'Pink' as Homo affinis erectus, a species with traits similar to but distinct from Homo erectus.
This discovery challenges previous assumptions that Homo antecessor was the earliest human species to inhabit Western Europe.
The findings suggest an earlier wave of migration into Europe, highlighting the region's importance in human evolutionary history.