Fossil find gives middle finger to previous understanding of human exodus from Africa

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Even for a desert, the Nefud is nearly bone-dry. Only about an inch of water falls onto the red, sandy soil in northern Saudi Arabia over the course of a year.

But 85,000 years ago, hippos roamed the Nefud. 

At that time, heavy, monsoonal downpours filled thousands of lakes in the region. Rivers and streams criss-crossed the land. Leaping gazelles and wild cattle munched on the grasslands. 

And it appears that an early group of humans followed these African animals to this once-hospitable land. 

Archaeologists spent a decade sifting through the sands in this now dry and grossly understudied region of the world.  Read more...

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