Oldest human hair discovered in fossilized hyena poop
Washington, Feb 8 (ANI): A new study has suggested that strands discovered in fossil hyena poop found in a South African cave, could be the oldest known human hairs.
According to a report in National Geographic News, researchers discovered the rock-hard hyena dung near the Sterkfontein caves, where many early human ancestor fossils have been found.
Each white, round fossil turd, or coprolite, is roughly 0.8 inch (2 centimeters) across. They were found embedded in sediments 195,000 to 257,000 years old.
The sizes and shapes of the coprolites and their location suggest they came from brown hyenas, which still live in the region’s caves today.
Until now, the oldest known human hair was from a 9,000-year-old Chilean mummy.