The human genus Homo existed 2.8 million years ago, about 400,000 years earlier than previously thought, after a fossil of a lower jaw with five teeth was found in the Ledi-Geraru research area at Afar Regional State in Ethiopia, an international team of geoscientists and anthropologists informed. Homo (genus of hominids) is comprised modern humans as well as closely related species. The amazing discovery was described in two reports published by Science. This jaw, discovered in 2013 by a team of researchers led by Kaye E. Reed, Christopher J. Campisano and J Ramon Arrowsmith from the Arizona State University, and Brian A. Villmoare of the University of Nevada, predates the fossils of ancient humans by about 400,000 years. This fossil, which is 2.8 million years old, has small molars that suggest it may be an early human. Scientists have searched for African fossils that document the early phases of Homo evolution over many years. Problem is finding fossils from between 2.5 million to 3 million years ago. Unfortunately, the few specimens that were found have not been well preserved. Research associate at Penn State’s department of geosciences Erin N. DiMaggio stated that the record of Homo evolution from 3 to 2.5 million years ago in Afar (Ethiopia) is not well documented. This means no one has been able pinpoint when modern human ancestors evolved. This latest 2.8 million-year-old fossil provides clues to changes in the teeth and jaw in Homo only 200,000 years after the last known occurrence of Australopithecus afarensis (“Lucy”) from the Hadar site, also in Ethiopia. Professor Villmoare, the team leader, stated to the BBC that Lucy’s species probably evolved into primitive humans. Australopithecus farensis, Lucy’s type, is believed to have evolved into primitive humankind. (Image from Wikipedia) The fossil’s back teeth, which are molars, is smaller than the ones of ancient people who lived in this area. According to Professor William Kimbel of Arizona State University’s Institute of Human Origins, humans have smaller molars that their primitive ancestors. Professor Kimbel explained to BBC that the oldest known fossil from the genus Homo is an Ethiopian upper jaw, which was dated back to 22,000 years ago. 35m years ago.” “So this new discovery pushes the human line back by 400,000 years or so, very close to its likely (pre-human) ancestor. Researchers believe that the climate may have been the key to the transformation from tree-dweller to upright walker, because of its mix of primitive features and more advanced ones. Kaye E. Reed from Arizona State University’s Institute of Human Origins said that “we can see the 2.8-million-year-old drought signal in the Ledi–Geraru faunal group. It’s too early to conclude that climate change was responsible for Homo’s origin. “We need to find more hominin fossils, and this is why we keep coming back to Ledi Geraru to continue our search.” Hominins refer to the group of primates that includes Homo sapiens and their ancestors. This term refers to the human branch that existed after the split from the chimpanzees. Two Citations. “Early Homo At 2.8 Ma From Ledi-Geraru. Afar. Ethiopia,” Brian Villmoare. Chalachew Seyoum. Christopher J. Campisano. Erin DiMaggio. John Rowan. David R. Braun. J. Ramon Arrowsmith. Kaye E. Reed. Science aaa1343. Published online March 4, 2015 “Late Pliocene sedimentary fossiliferous sedimentary records and the environment context of early Homo From Afar, Ethiopia,” Erin N. DiMaggio and Christopher J. Campisano. Science aaa1415. Publication online: 2015 [DOI:10.1126/science.aaa1415]. Video by Institute of Human Origins Discovery
Fossil find places origin of humans at 2.8 million years ago
