Fossil teeth lead to discovery of human species that lived alongside our oldest ancestors
New human ancestor identified after fossil find
- Fossil teeth unearthed in Ethiopia suggest two distinct human ancestor species coexisted between 2.6 and 2.8 million years ago, reshaping understanding of human evolution.
- The 13 teeth, found at the Ledi-Geraru archaeological site, belong to an early Homo species that lived alongside the hominin ancestor Australopithecus.
- This discovery indicates that human evolution is not a linear progression but a more complex 'bushy tree' with multiple lineages existing simultaneously.
- Researchers dated the specimens by analysing volcanic ash layers, which also helped reconstruct the ancient landscape as a vegetated area with rivers and shallow lakes.
- The newly identified Homo species is yet to be named, with further fossil discoveries required for formal classification.