Leopards have eaten the faces of our old human ancestors, reveals the analysis of the AI

Almost 2 million years ago, leopards probably chased and enlisted our human ancestors in East Africa, according to a new study.

Research, which used artificial intelligence (Ia) analysis tools, gives an overview of the disappearance of two prehistoric individuals of archaic human species Homo Habilis – one of first members of the Homo gender.

Previous studies have suggested that H. Habilis was probably sometimes prey by large carnivores, such as big cats and crocodiles, as indicated by evidence such as dental brands found on certain specimens. But it has often been difficult to attribute predation events to specific species using traditional methods such as physical examination, so many studies tended to Stop the identification firmly the species of predators involved.

With the help of AI, however, a study published on September 16 in the journal Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences Documents with “unprecedented reliability” the carnivore responsible for the allocation of the unfortunate H. Habilis Individuals.

“The AI ​​has opened new comprehension doors”, co-author of the study Manuel Domínguez-RodrigoProfessor of prehistory at the University of Alcalá in Spain and guest professor of anthropology at Rice University in Texas, said in a press release.

In the new study, Domínguez-Rodrigo and his colleagues analyzed two H. Habilis Specimens: a juvenile (known as OH 7) and an adult (known as OH 65), dated approximately 1.85 million years ago and 1.8 million years ago, respectively. The two specimens were found decades ago in the Gorges d’Olduvai Site in Tanzania.

“We have chosen these two fossils because they are identified unambiguously as H. Habilis And because they are probably the best preserved specimens, “Domínguez-Rodrigo told Live Science in an email.

The team carried out a preliminary examination of the specimens OH 7 and OH 65, identifying the carnivorous teeth marks on the upper jaw of the adult and the lower jaw of the minor, which had never been documented before. The team then applied AI tools to analyze these dental brands.

Using computer vision – an AI technique to identify the elements through images – researchers have formed in -depth learning models on hundreds of examples of bone markings produced by modern carnivores such as hyenas, crocodiles and leopards. In the blind tests, the best of these models was more than 90% precise to correctly identify which animal produced the brands, according to Domínguez-Rodrigo.

The application of this system to analyze the OH 7 and OH 65 remains revealed, with a high degree of confidence, that the bite marks had been made by leopards, the study reported.

The conclusion that these H. Habilis Individuals were most likely practical and consumed by leopards – rather than being simply attacked or bitten by them – is supported by several evidence.

“The fact that very few pieces of the skeleton have survived indicates a high degree of pest,” said Domínguez-Rodrigo. “If another carnivore had had access to Lodge Before the leopards, the latter would not have been interested because they are only flesh eaters, “he said, adding that in such a scenario, little flesh would have survived in the carcass of this size after the first predator finished with his meal.

“We know that to reach the interior of the mandible (lower jaw) of OH7 (as the leopard did) and break the mandibular corpus, a substantial quantity of flesh and language was to be suppressed first,” said Domínguez-Rodrigo. “It indicates consumption and not just a bite to kill.”