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Mystery foot fossil may shake up human family tree

On November 26, researchers linked the Burtele foot and a jaw to Australopithecus deyiremeda, a species coexisting with Australopithecus afarensis .
The earlier 2015 designation of A. deyiremeda drew skepticism because the foot alone lacked enough material to name a species, though Haile-Selassie later reported teeth and other fossil fragments.
The Burtele foot displayed an opposable toe for tree-climbing, while isotope analysis of eight teeth showed A. deyiremeda walked bipedally, pushing off its second digit and ate mostly trees and shrubs, unlike A. afarensis .
The study suggests the finds provide clear evidence that two related hominin species coexisted around the Woranso-Mille site, challenging Lucy's sole-ancestor status and prompting more fossil searches.
Comparative anatomy suggests Australopithecus deyiremeda likely descended from Australopithecus anamensis, which may have given rise to at least three sister species, making the genus Homo's ancestry more complex.

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Mystery foot fossil may shake up human family tree

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.

4 months ago·Canada

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Mystery foot fossil belonged to a little-known species that lived alongside Lucy

A foot fossil found in Ethiopia belonged to an ancient human. The finding could knock one of the most famous names in human evolution from her spot on the family tree.

4 months ago·Atlanta, United States

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