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Scientists May Have Found the Earliest Human Ancestor Ever Suggesting Humans Didn’t First Evolve in Africa

Walking on two legs is one of the most defining features of humans. This ability, known as bipedalism, separates humans from most other animals, especially our closest relatives like chimpanzees and gorillas. For many years, scientists believed that early humans first evolved in Africa and began walking upright around 6 million years ago.

However, a remarkable fossil discovery in Europe is now challenging that long-held idea. A newly discovered 7.2-million-year-old thighbone in Bulgaria suggests that early human ancestors may have started walking on two legs much earlier—and possibly outside Africa.

This discovery could reshape our understanding of how and where humans first evolved.

A Fossil Discovery That Could Change History

The fossil was discovered at the Azmaka excavation site near the town of Chirpan in Bulgaria, located in the Upper Thracian Plain. Researchers from several international institutions studied the fossil and published their findings in the scientific journal Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments.

The research team included experts from the Bulgarian National Museum of Natural History, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the University of Tübingen, and the University of Toronto.

The fossil is a femur, or thighbone—one of the most important bones for studying movement. Because the femur connects the hip to the knee, its shape can reveal whether a creature walked on two legs or moved mainly in trees.

After careful examination, researchers found several features that strongly suggest the fossil belonged to an early upright-walking ancestor.

Meet Graecopithecus: A Possible Earliest Human Ancestor

Scientists believe the thighbone belonged to a species called Graecopithecus. According to David Begun, a professor at the University of Toronto, this species could represent the oldest known human ancestor.

“At 7.2 million years old, this ancestor could be the earliest human yet discovered,” Begun explains.

This is not the first time scientists have studied Graecopithecus. In 2017, researchers examined a fragment of a lower jaw found near Athens in Greece. The structure of the tooth roots suggested that the species might belong to the human evolutionary line.

However, the jaw alone could not reveal how the creature moved. The newly discovered femur from Bulgaria now provides crucial evidence about its locomotion.

Evidence of Early Upright Walking

The shape and structure of the fossil thighbone reveal important clues about how Graecopithecus moved.

According to Nikolai Spassov of the Bulgarian National Museum of Natural History, the bone contains several characteristics that resemble those of bipedal human ancestors.

Some key features include:

  • An elongated femoral neck pointing upward toward the hip joint

  • Special attachment points for gluteal muscles, which help stabilize the body while walking

  • Thicker outer bone layers, typical of animals that support weight on two legs

These features are commonly found in species that walk upright.

At the same time, the bone also shows some characteristics of tree-dwelling apes, suggesting that Graecopithecus may have lived partly in trees while also spending time on the ground.

In other words, it may represent an evolutionary transition stage between climbing apes and fully upright humans.

A Small but Important Individual

Based on the size of the thighbone, scientists believe the individual was likely a female weighing around 24 kilograms (about 53 pounds).

She probably lived near a river system in a savanna-like environment, which scientists say resembled the landscapes seen in modern East Africa today.

Millions of years ago, the region that is now Bulgaria looked very different from today. Instead of forests and cities, it was likely filled with open grasslands, scattered trees, and flowing rivers, creating a habitat suitable for early apes experimenting with ground movement.

A Possible “Missing Link” in Evolution

Researchers believe Graecopithecus could represent an important stage in human evolution.

According to Begun, this species may connect earlier ape ancestors with later human ancestors found in Africa.

One of these earlier ancestors is Danuvius guggenmosi, a 12-million-year-old ape discovered in Germany that had features suited for both climbing and upright movement.

Later human ancestors include species like Orrorin tugenensis, which lived around 6 million years ago in Africa and also showed signs of early bipedal walking.

Eventually, evolution produced species such as Australopithecus afarensis, the famous species that includes the fossil Lucy (Australopithecus afarensis fossil).

Lucy, discovered in Ethiopia in 1974, became one of the most famous early human fossils and clearly walked upright.

Graecopithecus may represent an earlier step in this long evolutionary journey.

How Climate Change Shaped Human Evolution

Another important part of the study focuses on ancient climate changes.

During the period between 8 and 6 million years ago, the eastern Mediterranean and parts of western Asia experienced major environmental shifts.

According to Madelaine Böhme from the Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment, these changes caused the formation of large semi-deserts and desert regions.

These environmental changes forced many animals to migrate in search of better habitats.

As grasslands spread and forests shrank, mammals began moving from Eurasia toward Africa. These migration waves eventually helped shape the modern African wildlife we see today.

Scientists believe that early apes may have migrated during these same environmental shifts.

If this idea is correct, the ancestors of humans might have first evolved in Europe or western Asia, then later moved into Africa, where most later human evolution occurred.

A New Perspective on Human Origins

For decades, the scientific consensus has been that Africa is the birthplace of humans.

Africa still holds the majority of early human fossils, and it remains central to our evolutionary story.

However, discoveries like the Graecopithecus femur suggest that some early evolutionary steps may have happened outside Africa.

Instead of a simple story beginning in one location, human evolution may have involved multiple regions connected by migration and environmental change.

In this view, Europe and western Asia may have played a larger role in our origins than previously thought.

The Search Is Far From Over

Despite the excitement surrounding this discovery, scientists emphasize that more fossils are needed to fully understand Graecopithecus and its place in human evolution.

Researchers are continuing excavations at the Azmaka site in Bulgaria and other fossil sites across the Balkans.

Their goal is to find more bones—such as skull fragments, teeth, or additional limb bones—that could reveal:

  • How Graecopithecus lived

  • What it ate

  • How it moved

  • And how closely it is related to humans

Each new fossil discovery helps scientists piece together the complex puzzle of our evolutionary past.

A Fossil That Could Rewrite the Story of Humanity

The discovery of a 7.2-million-year-old bipedal thighbone in Bulgaria may represent one of the earliest signs of human-like walking ever found.

If future discoveries confirm the findings, Graecopithecus could become the oldest known human ancestor, pushing back the timeline of bipedalism and possibly shifting the geographic origins of our lineage.

While many questions remain unanswered, one thing is certain: human evolution is far more complex—and fascinating—than scientists once believed.

With every fossil unearthed, we move one step closer to understanding how our distant ancestors first stood up, took their first steps, and began the journey that eventually led to modern humans.

Reference: Nikolai Spassov et al, An early form of terrestrial hominine bipedalism in the Late Miocene of Bulgaria, Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments (2026). DOI: 10.1007/s12549-025-00691-0

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