The teeth of early human relatives tell a story about how ancient hominids traveled in southern Africa more than a million years ago, according to a new study led by the University of Colorado.
A study of elements in the enamel covering 19 molars — which were 1.7 million to 2.7 million years old — found in two adjacent cave systems showed that the females had roamed farther than males.
More than half the teeth from the females showed the individuals grew up outside the local area. The male teeth showed only about 10 percent of individuals grew up somewhere else.
“Among most mammals, and even among most monkeys, the males are the ones that leave their home group,” said CU adjunct professor Sandi Copeland, lead author of the study. “But people in our field, studying human evolution, have made note that, indeed, our closest relatives, chimpanzees, have a different pattern — that females are the ones to leave.”
