179
Japanese scientists have determined that fossils thought for decades to be the remains of one of Japan's oldest humans actually belong to an ancient brown bear.
The discovery comes after new research that has resolved a decades-long debate over the nature of the finds, which were discovered in the late 1950s near Tokyo. It turned out that the bones, which were considered to be human, were actually parts of the skeleton of a bear that lived about 20 years ago. Computed tomography scans conducted by modern scientists confirmed that the humerus is a bear radius, and the head of the femur also belongs to an animal, not a human.
The name "Ushikawa Man" comes from the area in the city of Toyohashi where the fossils were found. Scientists in the 1950s initially identified the remains as parts of the skeleton of an ancient human. However, as the authors of the latest study note, the mistake may have occurred because Japanese archaeologists at the time rarely dealt with bear remains, which led to the wrong conclusion.
Despite the misidentification, the original explorers left detailed descriptions of their findings, allowing modern scholars to reexamine these bones. Such careful records have been key to revisiting the findings and restoring scientific truth.
The oldest known human remains in Japan are believed to be bones found in a limestone quarry near Hamakita, estimated to be between 14 and 000 years old. However, the oldest known remains are those found in the Ryukyu Islands, which are about 17 years old.
