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

This handout image released by the Programme Prehistoire de Casablanca on January 7, 2026, shows 773 000 years old mandible ThI-GH-10717 from Thomas Quarry in Morocco. 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 Hamza Mehimdate / PROGRAMME PREHISTOIRE DE CASABLANCA / AFP via Getty Images) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / HAMZA MEHIMDATE / HANDOUT / PROGRAMME PREHISTOIRE DE CASABLANCA" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

This handout image released by the Programme Prehistoire de Casablanca on January 7, 2026, shows the mandible ThI-GH-10717 during its excavation at the Thomas Quarry I - Hominid Cave. 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 Handout / PROGRAMME PREHISTOIRE DE CASABLANCA / AFP via Getty Images) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / J.P RAYNAL / HANDOUT / PROGRAMME PREHISTOIRE DE CASABLANCA" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

A worker stands atop a metro construction site near US chipmaker Nvidia Corporation's office in Bengaluru on January 7, 2026. (Photo by Idrees MOHAMMED / AFP via Getty Images)

A worker stands atop a metro construction site near US chipmaker Nvidia Corporation's office in Bengaluru on January 7, 2026. (Photo by Idrees MOHAMMED / AFP via Getty Images)

A worker stands atop a metro construction site near US chipmaker Nvidia Corporation's office in Bengaluru on January 7, 2026. (Photo by Idrees MOHAMMED / AFP via Getty Images)

Farah, a Sudanese migrant, poses for a photograph onboard the rescue ship "Ocean Viking" as it sails toward the designated port of disembarkation in Savona, northwestern Italy, on January 3, 2026. Farah fled the war in Sudan carrying the hope of reaching Britain, where members of his family live, and of continuing his studies in information technology (IT) and become an engineer, a future he believes can still be rebuilt beyond displacement. On December 31, 2025, the migrants rescue ship "Ocean Viking" operated by the NGO SOS Mediterranee, rescued 33 migrants. They had been stranded on the oil tanker the 'Maridive 703' for 5 days in the joint search zone between Malta and Tunisia in international Mediterranean waters. (Photo by Sameer Al-DOUMY / AFP via Getty Images)

TOPSHOT - The uSkin human-touch sensors from XELA Robotics Co., Ltd. are demonstrated on a robotic gripper holding an origami paper crane, illustrating pressure sensitivity, during the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, on January 6, 2026. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images)