The research team at the Atapuerca archaeological sites in Burgos, Spain, has just broken its own record by discovering, for the third time, the oldest human in Western Europe.

The discovery is particularly important as it places the arrival of the first populations in Europe before the 'Homo antecessors', whose remains date back approximately 860,000 years. It is a key piece in understanding the evolution of humans on the continent.

Scientists have put a face, but not an official name, to the earliest human ancestor ever found in Western Europe.