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Evidence of the earliest migration of sapiens in all Europe is found at Grotte Mandrin (the rock at the center of the picture) in Mediterranean France. (Image credit: Ludovic Slimak; (CC-BY 4.0))

It was long thought that modern humans first ventured into Europe about 42,000 years ago, but newly analyzed tools from the Stone Age have upended this idea. Now, evidence suggests that modern humans trekked into Europe in three waves between 54,000 and 42,000 years ago, a new study finds.

Our species, Homo sapiens, arose in Africa more than 300,000 years ago, and anatomically modern humans emerged at least 195,000 years ago. Evidence for the first waves of modern humans outside Africa dates back at least 194,000 years to Israel, and possibly 210,000 years to Greece.

For years, the oldest confirmed signs of modern humans in Europe were teeth about 42,000 years old that archaeologists had unearthed in Italy and Bulgaria. These ancient groups were likely Protoaurignacians — the earliest members of the Aurignacians, the first known hunter-gatherer culture in Europe.

However, a 2022 study revealed that a tooth found in the site of Grotte Mandrin (opens in new tab) in southern France’s Rhône Valley suggested that modern humans lived there about 54,000 years ago, a 2022 study found. This suggested Europe was home to modern humans about 10,000 years earlier than previously thought. 

In the 2022 study, scientists linked this fossil tooth with stone artifacts that scientists previously dubbed Neronian, after the nearby Grotte de Néron site. Neronian tools include tiny flint arrowheads or spearpoints and are unlike anything else found in Europe from that time.

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Now, in a new study, an archaeologist argues that another wave of modern humans may have entered Europe between the 42,000-year-old Protoaurignacians and the 54,000-year-old Neronians. “It’s an in-depth rewriting of the historical structure of [the] arrival of sapiens in the continent,” study lead researcher Ludovic Slimak (opens in new tab) , an archaeologist at the University of Toulouse in France, told Live Science in an email. He detailed his ideas in a study published on Wednesday (May 3) in the journal PLOS One (opens in new tab) .Image 1 of 3These maps show evidence for three distinct waves of early migration of Homo sapiens in Europe from the East Mediterranean coast. In phase 1, the Neronians created tools about 54,000 years ago; (Image credit: Ludovic Slimak; <a href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/”> (CC-BY 4.0)</a>) in phase 2, the Châtelperronians left tools about 45,000 years ago; (Image credit: Ludovic Slimak; <a href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/”> (CC-BY 4.0)</a>) and in phase 3, the Protoaurignacians crafted tools about 42,000 years ago. (Image credit: Ludovic Slimak; <a href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/”> (CC-BY 4.0)</a>) Stone Age evidence

Slimak focused on a group or “industry” of stone artifacts previously unearthed in the Levant, the eastern Mediterranean region that today includes Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. Scientists have long thought that the Levant was a key gateway for modern humans migrating out of Africa.

When Slimak compared Neronian tools from Grotte Mandrin with the industry from about the same time from a site known as Ksar Akil in Lebanon, he found notable similarities. This suggested both groups were one and the same, with the Levantine group expanding into Europe over time. The much younger Protoaurignacian artifacts also have very similar counterparts in the Levant from a culture known as the Ahmarian, Slimak noted. 

“I buil[t] a bridge between Europe and the East Mediterranean populations during the early migrations of sapiens in the continent,” Slimak said.

In addition, Slimak found thousands of modern human flint artifacts from the Levant that existed in the period known as the Early Upper Paleolithic, between the Ksar Akil and the Ahmarian ones. This led him to look for possible modern human counterparts of these artifacts in Europe.

Stone artifacts from a European industry known as the Châtelperronian highly resemble modern human artifacts seen in the Early Upper Paleolithic of the Levant. In addition, Châtelperronian items date to about 45,000 years ago, or between those of the Neronians and the Protoaurignacians. However, scientists had often thought Châtelperronians were Neanderthals.Related stories—Unknown lineage of ice age Europeans discovered in genetic study

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Slimak now argues the Châtelperronians were actually a second wave of modern humans into Europe. “We have here, and for the first time, a serious candidate for a non-Neanderthalian origin of these industries,” Slimak said. 

This new model of modern human settlement of Europe is “ambitious and provocative,” Chris Stringer (opens in new tab) , a paleoanthropologist at the Natural History Museum in London who did not take part in the new study, told Live Science in an email. “Evidence has been building for a while that there were several early dispersals of Homo sapiens into Europe before the well-attested Aurignacian-associated one about 42,000 years ago.”

Future research can help confirm or disprove this new idea. “I see this paper generating a number of research projects to support or refute it,” Christian Tryon (opens in new tab) , a Paleolithic archaeologist at the University of Connecticut who helped translate the new study, told Live Science in an email. “People now need to look at some of the archaeological sites here with a critical eye to see if they see the same kinds of technical details reported by Slimak. This is the start of a long process, I suspect.”

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Cyclones name WSU’s Rogers to replace Campbell

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Cyclones name WSU's Rogers to replace Campbell

Washington State coach Jimmy Rogers has agreed to a six-year deal to become the next coach at Iowa State, the school announced Friday.

Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard moved quickly to replace departing coach Matt Campbell, who agreed to an eight-year deal to take over Penn State on Friday, and landed Rogers, a proven winner at the FCS level who just concluded his first regular season at Washington State.

“Jimmy Rogers is a rising star in college athletics who has very strong ties to the Midwest both as a player and as a coach,” Pollard said in a statement. “He has been on my short-list ever since the first time I met him. He immediately impressed me with his interest in Iowa State University and told me during our first visit several years ago that he wanted to be the next head coach at Iowa State.

“Since our initial meeting, I have stayed in close contact with him and have been very impressed with his work ethic and understanding of what it takes to be successful at Iowa State,” Pollard added. “He is a proven winner who has demonstrated throughout his career that he will fit our culture.”

Rogers, 38, has a 33-9 record over three seasons as a head coach. He went 6-6 in his debut season at Washington State after overseeing a significant roster rebuild following the departure of coach Jake Dickert to Wake Forest.

“My family and I are excited to be joining the Iowa State University community and the Cyclone football program,” Rogers said in a statement. “Iowa State has been one of the nation’s top programs for the last decade and we look forward to building upon its upward trajectory. I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity that Jamie Pollard has given me to lead the Cyclones.”

Rogers previously spent 12 years at South Dakota State and led his alma mater to an FCS national championship in 2023 with a 15-0 season in his first year as the Jackrabbits’ head coach after taking over for longtime coach John Stiegelmeier.

Rogers carried a 29-game win streak into his second year as coach and achieved a No. 3 finish in 2024 with a run to the FCS playoff semifinals and a 12-3 season.

The Jackrabbits also won the FCS national championship in 2022 after Rogers was elevated to being the team’s sole defensive coordinator, and they played for another FCS title in 2020.

Campbell, the winningest coach in Iowa State history with 72 victories, led the Cyclones to eight winning seasons during his decade at the helm and two appearances in the Big 12 championship game.

The Cyclones went 8-4 this season and are awaiting their bowl selection on Sunday.

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Cool it! JMU AD scolds fans for throwing snowballs

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Cool it! JMU AD scolds fans for throwing snowballs

HARRISONBURG, Va. — James Madison athletic director Matt Roan used the public-address microphone to implore Dukes fans to stop throwing snowballs onto the field during the Sun Belt Conference championship game against Troy on Friday night, warning that their actions could cost JMU a penalty.

Roan’s address to the crowd followed an incident that affected the game.

With 4:30 left in the first quarter, Troy’s Evan Crenshaw was nearly hit by a snowball while punting from the end zone with the JMU student section behind him. Crenshaw shanked a 26-yard punt that helped set up the Dukes’ first score, a 40-yard field goal.

Fans in the student section began throwing snowballs during pregame warmups, when the Dukes’ marching band got pelted. They kept it up for most of the first half, despite repeated warnings over the PA system.

Harrisonburg received about 1½ inches of snow Friday, its first measurable snowfall of the season.

No. 19 JMU had an outside shot at making the College Football Playoff field with a win over Troy and a loss by No. 16 Virginia to Duke in Saturday’s Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.

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No. 1 recruit DT Lamar Brown signs with LSU

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No. 1 recruit DT Lamar Brown signs with LSU

LSU and coach Lane Kiffin closed a busy early signing period with a bang Friday, officially securing the signature of defensive tackle Lamar Brown, ESPN’s No. 1 overall 2026 recruit.

Brown, a 6-foot-5, 285-pound defender from Erwinville, Louisiana, signed his letter of intent on the final day of the three-day period, the program announced, formally joining Kiffin and the Tigers as the program’s first No. 1 overall addition since Leonard Fournette in 2014.

Committed to the program since July, Brown was not initially expected to sign this week following meetings between Brown’s representatives and members of the LSU staff Tuesday.

While Brown remained verbally committed to the program, sources told ESPN that his camp harbored reservations over Kiffin’s to-be-completed coaching staff. Uncertainty hanging over the futures of Tigers interim coach Frank Wilson and defensive coordinator Blake Barker marked a particular concern for Brown, who attends high school on the LSU campus and developed close relationships with the program’s previous staff during his recruitment.

As of Friday afternoon, the Tigers have not publicly announced plans for the program’s defensive staff. The statuses of Wilson and Baker, a reported candidate for multiple head coach openings across the country, remain unclear, too. But according to ESPN sources, Brown and the Tigers progressed toward his signing through talks across Wednesday and Thursday, culminating in the program officially landing his signature Friday afternoon.

Within an impressive Tigers defensive class in 2026, Brown was not alone in initially holding off on signing this week before ultimately submitting the official paperwork.

LSU officially announced the signing of ESPN 300 defensive tackle Richard Anderson (No. 90 overall) on Thursday after questions swirled over his signature on the opening day of the signing period. Top 60 defensive linemen Deuce Geralds (No. 39) and Trenton Henderson (No. 60) each pushed their signings to Friday. Henderson, amid late flip efforts from Auburn and Florida State, gave the Tigers his signature Friday morning. Geralds, ESPN’s No. 2 defensive tackle in 2026, followed in the afternoon, minutes before the program announced Brown’s signing.

For Kiffin, who officially arrived Sunday, Brown’s signature closes LSU’s class of ESPN 300 additions and marks a strong finish to a hectic first week on the recruiting trail with the Tigers.

Uncertainty surrounding Brown and the program’s top defensive pledges hung over early-week commitments from wide receiver Brayden Allen and former Ole Miss pledges J.C. Anderson (No. 165 in the ESPN 300) and Ryan Miret. Pass catcher Corey Barber, another ex-Rebels commit, also signed with the Tigers on Wednesday. LSU also lost five commitments following Kiffin’s arrival, headlined by safety Dylan Purter (No. 266), who flipped to Florida on Thursday.

Kiffin & Co. took some big swings, as well. Sources tell ESPN that the Tigers made late efforts to flip USC tight end signee Mark Bowman (No. 29 overall) and four-star South Carolina quarterback signee Landon Duckworth (No. 186). LSU also attempted to sway No. 1 wide receiver Chris Henry Jr., who affirmed his pledge to Ohio State and signed Friday.

With Brown officially in the fold, the Tigers will close the early signing period with the nation’s No. 14 signing class in ESPN’s latest class rankings for the cycle.

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