Fossils from Jebel Irhoud, Morocco, dated to about 315,000 years ago, combine a relatively modern face with a more elongated braincase. They show that early Homo sapiens traits did not appear all at once. Genetic research also supports long interaction among African ancestral populations, while the exact geography of our origins remains unresolved.
Annual surface temperature from CESM (T): a model estimate, not a direct observation of the past.
0 Ma: pre-industrial climate/CO₂; modern sea-level and O₂ references.
Glacial-interglacial cycles with 120m+ sea level swings. Homo sapiens spread from Africa across the globe, and most megafauna went extinct.
Annual model means · 0 Ma: pre-industrial
Mapped sample / window records · not abundance
0–2.5 Ma
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API records whose numeric ages miss the queried window are excluded from the map and counts, with exclusions retained in provenance.
Plate boundaries are a separate model comparison. Their reference frame differs from PALEOMAP terrain and coordinates; coastlines may not align.
· 0 Ma
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