Modern Rounded Human Brains An Evolutionary Step Less Than 100,000 Years Old

What sets humans apart from other species, despite all the biological and genetic similarities, is our brains. But it turns out that the brain of a Homo sapiens who lived about 100,000 years ago was actually differently shaped, compared to ours. The earliest-known specimen of a Homo sapiens is from about 300,000 years ago, and it was discovered at a site in present-day Morocco. The Jebel Irhoud fossil had a modern-looking face that fell within the variations shown by modern humans and was therefore categorized as one. However, even at the time of its discovery's announcement in June 2017, researchers said the shape of its braincase, or cranium, indicated that the human brain had evolved since.