US EditionFossils Show Two Types of Ancient Human Ancestors Lived at the Same Place and Time. One Was Possibly an Unknown Species
A 2025 study found teeth dating 2.59 to 2.78 million years old that may belong to Homo rudolfensis, potentially older than Homo habilis, challenging current views on early human evolution.
- Researchers announced that ancient fossilized teeth from northeastern Ethiopia show two types of hominins lived together between 2.6 and 2.8 million years ago.
- The discovery followed a decades-long project focused on early Homo, challenging the previous belief that Homo appeared only after Australopithecus.
- Ten teeth from Australopithecus and three from the genus Homo suggest coexistence in the Afar Region, which had more seasonal rainfall than today’s semidesert landscape.
- Coauthor Kaye Reed noted that the findings support the idea that Australopithecus shared its habitat in the Afar Depression with other hominin species, although the nature of their coexistence remains unclear.
- This finding implies that multiple hominin species developed simultaneously and that further fossil discoveries may clarify early human evolution and resource sharing.
16 Articles
16 Articles
INTERVIEW: Fossil finds add ancestors - and a puzzle - to our human family tree
A team of researchers say they’ve found fossils that add two new ancestors to our human family tree. While these two creatures appeared to have lived at the same time - and in the same place - they are two distinct, different hominins. The team says one set of fossils appears to be a fit for the genus Homo. That’s the same genus as modern humans. The other seems to fit Australopithecus, the same genus as the famous Lucy fossil. Fossil teeth and …
World, Aug 16, 2025 (ATB Digital) .- Thirteen fossil teeth reveal that the Australopithecus and Homo hominids coexisted between 2.6 and 2.8 million years ago in the Afar region, Ethiopia, according to a study published on Wednesday (13.08.2025) in Nature. The finding in the Ledi-Geraru site, a key site for paleoanthropology, suggests that dental pieces belong to a species of Australopithecus unknown until now. Since 2002, the University of Arizo…
They lived side by side with ancient men.
The recent discovery of fossils in the region of Ledi-Geraru, in Ethiopia, sheds light on the complexity of human evolution. These new evidence reveals that, about 2.6 million years ago, the first species of the human race co-existed with other human beings such as the Astral epithecus. This crucial finding challenges the linear vision of human evolution, suggesting... The post Discovera de Fosceis reveals a new human species and can change the …
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 80% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
