Jawbone found in Spain could be oldest European human fossil

Spanish paleontologists said on Friday that a bone fragment found in northern Spain could be the oldest known fossil of a human.

According to the researchers, the fossil found on June 30 in the Atapuerca mountain range was more than one million years old.

The oldest hominid fossil in Europe was discovered in 2007, and it was determined to be 1.2 million years old.

One of the richest records of prehistoric human occupation can be found in Atapuerca.

Jose Mara Bermudez de Castro, the co-director of the Atapuerca research project, said during a news conference that researchers will have to complete their first estimate for the age of the jawbone fragment using dating techniques.

He said that it is logical and reasonable to think that the fragment is older than it was.

The National Centre for Research on Human Evolution in Burgos is six miles from Atapuerca.

Bermdez de Castro said it would take six to eight months.

Understanding how human beings evolved on the European continent could be aided by the analysis.

Scientists haven't been able to determine the species of the jawbone. There is a possibility that the fossil is related to Homo antecessor.

Humans may have been able to survive the harsh winters by sleeping.

The Atapuerca Foundation believes the fragment is from one of the first populations to colonise Europe.

The archaeological site of Atapuerca was added to the list of world heritage sites in 2000.

There are thousands of hominid fossils and tools in this place.