Original source (on modern site)
A European dentist helping his parents renovate their home discovered an ancient jawbone embedded in travertine tile. The man recognized immediately that the mandible "looked human." Research shows that the travertine was sourced from a basin in Turkey known to house fossils. A dentist who found an ancient jawbone embedded in the travertine tile recently installed at his parent's European home says he's pretty sure it isn't from Jimmy Hoffa. Beyond that, though, he's not so sure. "This looks like a section of mandible," the anonymous dentist posted on Reddit, along with a photo of the tile near the home's outdoor terrace. "Could it be a hominid? Is it usual?" Those are questions researchers now want to answer. The man wrote on Reddit that, as a dentist, he's looking at this type of anatomy all day long, "which maybe [is] why I immediately noticed it." But there's certainly an ancient feel to the find. "I spotted the mandible because I am a dentist and it looked very familiar," he told Newsweek. "It was not so much the teeth but the shape of the arch. At first, I thought it was a fossil of a random animal. Then, with a closer look, I realized it was very familiar and looked human." But not recent human—"I don't think it is Jimmy Hoffa," he posted. Archaeologists have already dated it to anywhere from 100,000 to 1 million years old, according to Newsweek. Research revealed that the travertine—a type of natural limestone that forms from mineral deposits near water springs—originated in Turkey. Known for its non-uniformity in design, travertine is prized for the distinct look each piece can offer. The Washington Post reported that the travertine has been dated to 1.8 million to 0.7 million years old, meaning the quarry in from which this tile originated yielded quite the find. The location was already known to host the fossils of mammoths, rhinos, giraffes, and a variety of other animals. "What this means is that there may be lots more hominin bones in people's floors and showers," wrote John Hawks, a professor of anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, according to Newsweek. "Every time I am in Home Depot, I go through the travertine tile looking for fossils," said John Kappelman Jr., a paleoanthropologist at the University of Texas at Austin, according to the Washington Post. While a bit hesitant to undo a recent remodel, the family will allow a research team to study the travertine tile containing the mandible, along with other tiles in the house that offer up some intrigue. Mehmet Cihat Alcicek, a professor at Pamukkale University in Turkey who will join the team studying the new find, said another discovery made over two decades ago from travertine sourced from the same basin yielded part of a skull. At that time, Alcicek and Kappelman were unable to find any other tiles offering more evidence. The new travertine discovery will undergo testing to give scientists a better idea of its age and unearth any additional details on the Homo erectus (or similar) that gave up the jawbone for study. "Certainly, somebody has more pieces of the mandible," Hawks said. "If you take another look at your shower wall and suspect an ancient human is looking back at you, it might actually be one." You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?