Historians and archeologists have constantly been digging and excavating to find the true origins of humankind. This has provided us with answers about the very beginning. One of the most recent discovery updates has been regarding the oldest Homo sapiens’ footprints. This discovery places the oldest members of Homo sapiens at around 153,000 years ago. Found at the Garden Route National Park (GRNP), these footprints have an unusual length that is credited to a heel drag. A recent study has attributed these prints to be the oldest known tracks from our species. This is the most recent update among the many discoveries from African excavations in the past few decades.
The Discovered Tracks
As per an article in the journal Ichnos from April 25th, optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) was used to date these footprints. The footprints are especially significant as they not only indicate that the early humans traveled through these sites but also give us an idea about the activities they took up. This process included the analysis of a total of nine tracks left by humans, called ichnosites, including four with ammo glyphs (any man-made pattern preserved over time), one with knee impressions, and four with hominin tracks.
How Does OSL Work?
OSL determines the elapsed time since the grains of feldspar or quartz near or in the tracks had contact with sunlight. This process gives especially exceptional results in cases where surfaces with human contact were buried within a short period of time. After using OSL on the tracks found at the GRNP track site, the findings placed them at a date around 153,000 years ago, plus or minus 10,000 years. As per Charles Helm, a research associate at the African Centre for Coastal Paleoscience at Nelson Mandela University in South Africa, this discovery “acted as a spur to continue our search for hominin tracks in deposits we know are even older.”
Mark Harmon Leaves NCIS After 19 Years, but Says His Character Hasn’t Retired
Mark Harmon is ready to leave NCIS after 19 seasons in the CBS series. In the fourth episode of season 19, when his character Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs made the decision to remain in Alaska permanently after solving a case, the 70-year-old actor bid goodbye to the long-running police procedural show as a series regular. The show debuted in 2003 and even has four spin-offs.
The Goodbye
According to Mark Harmon, the biggest draw of the show for him was his character, and the drive to keep Gibbs fresh and challenging. He further adds that this character’s exit from the show was a plot-driven one, and he was absolutely okay with it. In his final episode of NCIS, Harmon tells his long-time partner, Agent Timothy McGee (played by Sean Murray) that he’s not coming back from Alaska. He also tells McGee that he couldn’t have asked for a better partner to work with. However, Gibbs’ fans need not be disappointed as Mark Harmon has hinted that Gibbs isn’t entirely retired.
Harmon Will Always Be a Part of NCIS
The executive producer of the show, Steve Binder, stated that Mark Harmon remains a very major part of the show even after his exit. Binder says that Harmon, who has been with the show since its inception, has always been true to his character. The show, itself, has also always stayed true to its character, a fact that’s been the driving force for the police drama. Not to mention, the stories they tell and the places their characters go have always been led by reality. Kelly Kahl, the president of CBS Entertainment, stated that Mark has always contributed to the show and will continue to do so. The audience will just have to wait and watch to see how his contribution and appearances on the show will change.