Scientists discover the oldest homo sapien footprint, reshaping human history forever

A recently published study has unveiled seven hominin footprints along South Africa's Cap south coast, with one of the footprints now being the oldest ever recorded.

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(A) stratigraphy showing ichnosite location; (B) 3D photogrammetry model of hominin track

The findings were published in an article in Ichnos, the international journal of trace fossils, and details the footprints that were left by our distant human ancestors. According to the study, these findings conclude that the Cape South coast was a region that featured an abundance of homo sapiens, with many of our distant relatives exploring far and even to other continents. Notably, these seven footprints are part of what is called the South African cluster, which is nine total footprints in the region.

How are these footprints still around? Unlike some sites that require excavation, the sites mentioned in the study are fully exposed on the surface and are embedded in aeolianites, which are ancient cemented dunes. Despite being able to be identified as homo sapien footprints, they're exposed to the natural elements leading them to be vulnerable to erosion and thus, preservation and, by extension, scientific interpretation.

However, researchers used optically stimulated luminescence as a dating method, which is a measuring technique that looks at the time elapsed since the sand grains were first exposed to sunlight.

"We found that the sites ranged in age; the most recent dates back about 71,000 years. The oldest, which dates back 153,000 years, is one of the more remarkable finds recorded in this study: it is the oldest footprint thus far attributed to our species, Homo sapiens," writes the researchers.

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