This handout image released by the MPI EVA Leipzig; CC BY-SA 2.0 on January 7, 2026, shows lower jaws (mandibles) from North Africa, illustrating variation among fossil hominins and modern humans, with a Tighennif 3 from Algeria (TOP-L), a ThI-GH-10717 from Thomas Quarry in Morocco (TOP-R), and a Jebel Irhoud 11 from Morocco (BOTTOM-L), compared with a mandible from a recent modern human (BOTTOM-R), shown at the same scale, allowing direct comparison of their size and shape. Where did our species first emerge? Fossils discovered in Morocco dating back more than 773,000 years bolster the theory that Homo sapiens originally appeared in Africa, scientists said in a study on January 7, 2026. (Photo by Philipp GUNZ / MPI EVA Leipzig; CC BY-SA 2.0 / AFP via Getty Images) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / Philipp GUNZ / MPI EVA Leipzig; CC BY-SA 2.0 / HANDOUT" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS