Scientists Find Evidence That Suggests Ancestors of Higher Primates Originated in Asia, Not Africa

Deep in the forests of Myanmar, scientists have found evidence that supports the theory that early ancestors of higher primates such as monkeys, apes, and humans may have originated in Asia. The fossilized teeth found in Myanmar (in Asia) closely resemble the teeth of another anthropoid found in Libya (in Africa) recently:

The teeth of 37-million-year-old Afrasia closely resemble those of another early anthropoid, the 38 million-year-old Afrotarsius libycus , recently discovered in the Sahara Desert of Libya. The anthropoids in Libya were far more diverse at that early time in Africa than scientists had thought, which suggested they actually originated elsewhere. The close similarity between Afrasia and Afrotarsius now suggests that early anthropoids colonized Africa from Asia.

This migration from Asia ultimately helps set the stage for the later evolution of apes and humans in Africa. "Africa is the place of origin of man, and Asia is the place of origins of our far ancestors," researcher Jean-Jacques Jaeger, a paleontologist at the University of Poitiers in France, told LiveScience.

Though it is still unknown as to how these anthropoids made the migration to Africa, it is theorized that other types of animals made this migration as well at a time when the landmasses were closer together.

[via www.msnbc.msn.com]