An international research team co-led by the University of Iowa has dated the last known appearance of Homo erectus, one of modern humans’ direct ancestors.

Researchers examined animal fragments from a fossil bed where homo erectus remains had been found and dated the surrounding landscape to determine homo erectus last appeared at a site called Ngandong, on the Indonesian island of Java, between 108,000 and 117,000 years ago.

Russell Ciochon, professor in the Department of Anthropology in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, is co-corresponding author on the study, which was published in the journal Nature.