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Fossilized teeth found in Ethiopia show that two human ancestor species, including a possibly unknown one, lived there 2.6 million years ago.
Fossilized teeth found in Ethiopia’s Afar region.
A decades-long archaeological project in Ethiopia’s Afar region uncovered fossilized teeth revealing that two different types of early human ancestors- including a possible previously unknown species- lived in the same area between 2.6 and 2.8 million years ago.
The findings, published in Nature, challenge long-held views that species of the genus Homo emerged only after the extinction of Australopithecus. Instead, the discovery shows they coexisted. Researchers from the Ledi-Geraru Research Project identified ten teeth belonging to Australopithecus and three to early Homo. The Australopithecus fossils, discovered between 2018 and 2020, did not match known species such as afarensis- the species of the famous “Lucy” fossil- or garhi, suggesting a new species may have walked the Earth alongside early Homo.
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“This new research shows that human evolution is not a straight line from apes to modern humans,” study coauthor Kaye Reed of Arizona State University said, adding, “It’s a bushy tree- species lived together, some went extinct, and some interbred.”
The teeth were found in sediment layers dating from 2.59 to 2.78 million years ago in an active rift zone where tectonic shifts and volcanic ash preserve ancient remains. This rare overlap in the fossil record offers clues to a poorly understood period in human evolution.
While Australopithecus species walked upright but had smaller brains, Homo had larger brains and different teeth structures. The team is continuing excavations to find more skeletal remains to determine how these species lived and whether they competed for resources.
Lead author Brian Villmoare of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said, “This discovery adds a critical piece to the puzzle of where we came from. But to fully understand it, we need more fossils.”
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