US EditionAncient Hominin Fossils Reveal Two Human Ancestors Lived Side by Side
The 3.4-million-year-old Burtele foot shows Australopithecus deyiremeda had an opposable big toe for climbing, differing from Australopithecus afarensis in locomotion and diet, researchers said.
- Scientists found eight bones from an ancient human ancestor in the Afar Rift in Ethiopia, dating back 3.4 million years, as reported by paleoanthropologist Yohannes Haile-Selassie.
- The discovery suggests that Australopithecus deyiremeda and Australopithecus afarensis coexisted, living in the same environment but with different lifestyles, according to Haile-Selassie.
- The foot bone analysis indicates that Australopithecus deyiremeda had a different locomotion than Australopithecus afarensis, suggesting they lived very different lifestyles while coexisting.
- The findings demonstrate that human evolution involved multiple hominin species living together, challenging the idea that our evolution was linear, according to Haile-Selassie.
103 Articles
103 Articles
This 3.4 Million-Year-Old Foot Changes the Story of Human Origins
New fossils link a strange 3.4-million-year-old foot to Australopithecus deyiremeda, a species that mixed climbing skills with its own style of bipedal walking. The evidence shows that multiple early human ancestors inhabited the same region while relying on different diets and behaviors. Ancient Foot Fossil Reassigned to a Different Early Human Species Newly uncovered fossils [...]
Mystery foot fossil belonged to a little-known species that lived alongside Lucy
By Katie Hunt, CNN (CNN) — Scientists say they have solved the mystery of the Burtele foot, a set of 3.4 million-year-old bones found in Ethiopia in 2009. The fossils, along with others unearthed more recently, have now been linked to a little-known species that was a contemporary of the celebrated Australopithecus afarensis skeleton Lucy. The foot bones and a jawbone with teeth still attached belonged to an ancient human relative called Austral…
The Human Relative Who Owned This 3.4-Million-Year-Old Foot May Have Belonged to a Species That Lived Alongside Lucy
Newfound fossils in modern-day Ethiopia suggest that the mysterious foot belonged to a recently named species, Australopithecus deyiremeda. The finding could alter the story of human evolution
A strange ancient foot reveals a hidden human cousin
Researchers have finally assigned a strange 3.4-million-year-old foot to Australopithecus deyiremeda, confirming that Lucy’s species wasn’t alone in ancient Ethiopia. This hominin had an opposable big toe for climbing but still walked upright in a distinct style. Isotope tests show it ate different foods from A. afarensis, revealing clear ecological separation. These insights help explain how multiple early human species co-existed without wipin…
The discovery calls into question the unique status of Lucy's species.
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