Stretches of land, now hidden beneath the sea, may have given early humans a way to move between what is today Turkey and Europe, according to groundbreaking new research in this little-studied region.

The recently published study reveals the first evidence of Paleolithic activity in Ayvalık, and may reshape how scientists understand our species’ journey into Europe.

The prehistoric peopling of Europe has long been documented as occurring in waves from the western edge of Eurasia. For decades, experts believed that Homo sapiens reached Europe mainly by traveling through the Balkans and the Levant, moving from Africa into the Middle East.

However, the discovery of 138 stone tools spread across 10 sites within a 200 km² area suggests a different possibility.

According to a study publi

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