Palaeontology
Oldest human species found
By
T.K. RandallMay 29, 2010 ·
14 comments
Image Credit: Wikipedia
Fossil fragments have been found of Homo gautengensis, the oldest known genus of the human species.
Thought to have been a small tree-dwelling relative of modern humans the find consists of skull fragments discovered in the Sterkfontein caves of South Africa and date back between 800,000 and 2 million years.
There's a good chance it was a tiny little cannibalistic tree swinger, but the newly identified Homo gautengensis is family, according to a new study. Thought to have used tools—and possibly fire—the creature is the oldest named species in the human genus, Homo, study author Darren Curnoe says.
Source:
National Geographic |
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