Homo antecessor as the end link between humans and Neanderthals

The paleoanthropologists who discovered the Homo antecessor fossils did an initial dating of the ancient species. They figured out that the Homo antecessor stood as the end link between modern humans and Neanderthals before they started splitting into their own species. As it happened, the similarities between the Neanderthal and Homo antecessor bones could not be ignored.

To some degree, the discussion did not just end there. Instead, anthropologists started on a protracted debate about where the Homo antecessor ancient group fit into the human family tree. The conversation progressed when newer studies showed the facial similarities between the ancient species and modern humans and also the dissimilarities between them and Neanderthals. In an article published by Smithsonian Magazine, most of the features tying Homo antecessor to modern humans were found in juveniles, whose physical characteristics change as they grow up.