Fossilized teeth dating back 9.7 million years

The fossilized remains of what are believed to be great ape teeth, an upper right first molar and an upper left canine, were found a little over a year ago near the town of Eppelsheim in southwestern Germany in sediments that date back 10 million years.

Lutz said that the discovery is groundbreaking for its potential to alter our understanding of how humans developed and migrated in prehistoric times.

“We have comparable finds only in East Africa…but they are only 2, 3, 4 or 5 million years old, and Eppelsheim is almost 10,” said Matz. “So the question is: What has happened? We don’t know where this great ape came from. We do not have comparable finds from southern Europe.”

As of now, it is not known where the teeth fit in humankind’s family tree. However, Lutz and his team of researchers are only just beginning to fully examine their unique find.