Ape-like face of early human ancestor revealed

Nearly complete skull from Ethiopia raises questions about our evolution.

The ape-like face of one of our earliest known ancestors has been revealed for the first time, thanks to the discovery of a nearly complete skull in Ethiopia.

The cranium (skull minus lower jaw) belongs to Australopithecus anamensis, and its owner lived in the Afar basin in Ethiopia around 3.8 million years ago.

Australopiths are thought to be the direct ancestors of the early members of our own genus, Homo, which arose with Homo habilis roughly 2.4 million years ago.

A. anamensis is the oldest member of the Australopiths, yet it is far less well known, in part because of its lacklustre fossil record, consisting of a smattering of limb bones, jaw bones and disembodied teeth.

The new find, by Yohannes Haileselassie from the Cleveland Museum of

Natural History, US, and colleagues, and published in the journal Nature, could change that.

The cranium is “one of the most significant specimens that we’ve found so far from the site,” Haile-selassie says.