An international team led by UNLV anthropologist Brian Villmoare uncovered 13 teeth at Ethiopia's Ledi-Geraru site, dating between 2.6 and 2.8 million years ago. Some belonged to early Homo, while others represented a distinct Australopithecus species, different from Australopithecus afarensis, which disappeared around 2.95 million years ago.
The coexistence of the two genera at the same place and time suggests human evolution followed a branching tree pattern rather than a linear path. "Nature experimented with different ways to be a human as the climate became drier in East Africa," said Villmoare. "Earlier, more ape-like species went extinct, while others adapted to new niches."
Ledi-Geraru is also the site where the oldest Homo jaw, dated at 2.8 million years, was discovered. The new finds confirm the antiquity of the Homo lineage and highlight the importance of further fossil discoveries to clarify differences between Homo and Australopithecus.
The newly identified Australopithecus species has yet to be formally named, pending additional evidence.
Research Report:New discoveries of Australopithecus and Homo from Ledi-Geraru, Ethiopia,
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