▁therm ol um ines c ence ▁d ating ▁of ▁arte fact s ▁and ▁remains ▁from ▁J eb el ▁Ir h oud , ▁Mor oc co , ▁published ▁in ▁ 2 0 1 7 . ▁The ▁Flor is bad ▁Sk ull ▁from ▁Flor is bad , ▁South ▁Africa , ▁dated ▁to ▁about ▁ 2 5 9 , 0 0 0 ▁years ▁ago , ▁has ▁also ▁been ▁class ified ▁as ▁early ▁H omo ▁s api ens . ▁Pre viously , ▁the ▁O mo ▁remains , ▁exc av ated ▁between ▁ 1 9 6 7 ▁and ▁ 1 9 7 4 ▁in ▁O mo ▁National ▁Park , ▁Eth iop ia , ▁and ▁dated ▁to ▁ 2 0 0 , 0 0 0 ▁years ▁ago , ▁were ▁long ▁held ▁to ▁be ▁the ▁oldest ▁known ▁foss ils ▁of ▁hom o ▁s api ens . ▁ ▁In ▁September ▁ 2 0 1 9 , ▁scient ists ▁reported ▁the ▁computer ized ▁determ ination , ▁based ▁on ▁ 2 6 0 ▁CT ▁sc ans , ▁of ▁a ▁virtual ▁sk ull ▁shape ▁of ▁the ▁last ▁common ▁human ▁ancest or ▁to ▁modern ▁humans / H . ▁s api ens , ▁representative ▁of ▁the ▁earliest ▁modern ▁humans , ▁and ▁suggested ▁that ▁modern ▁humans ▁arose ▁between ▁ 2 6 0 , 0 0 0 ▁and ▁ 3 5 0 , 0 0 0 ▁years ▁ago ▁through ▁a ▁mer ging ▁of ▁populations ▁in ▁East ▁and ▁South ▁Africa . ▁ ▁In ▁July ▁ 2 0 1 9 , ▁anth rop olog ists ▁reported ▁the ▁discovery ▁of ▁