@DCGoldPants Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Meet Australopithecus deyiremeda, a previously unknown human ancestor species who lived alongside Lucy’s species, Australopithecus afarensis, in Ethiopia over 3 million years ago. The jawbones and a few isolated teeth of the new hominin (that’s us and our extinct ancestors) are described in Nature this week. On March 4, 2011, a left upper jaw complete with a few teeth (pictured above) was discovered on top of sandstone in the Burtele area of Woranso-Mille in the central Afar region of Ethiopia. Later that day and the day after, two lower jaws were discovered: one was found in the Burtele area in two pieces (the left half is pictured below to the right), the other was found at a locality called Waytaleyta about two kilometers away. Based on the geology, radiometric dating, paleomagnetic data, and the rate of sediment deposition, the layer the fossils had weathered out of was between the ages of 3.3 and 3.5 million years. The area is just 35 kilometers north of Hadar, where Lucy was discovered. More from the link. This stuff is awesome. http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/new-hominin-species-discovered-ethiopia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The 12th Commandment Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 At first I thought you were attacking a dead guy as part of an argument. Better a rhetorical device than a sandwich though, chimp family = panini? Neat discovery, amazing to me that what they can figure out from the smallest bone fragment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgold Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Thanks for sharing. Always like this kind of stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Predicto Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 At first I thought you were attacking a dead guy as part of an argument. Better a rhetorical device than a sandwich though, chimp family = panini? Neat discovery, amazing to me that what they can figure out from the smallest bone fragment. It is amazing - with the understanding, of course, that new information may require them to change their thinking. It's an ever evolving field. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 It's an ever evolving field. So is reading entrails. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The 12th Commandment Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 So is reading entrails. and contrails Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shakinaiken Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 and contrails and chemtrails..... Kylie knows Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shakinaiken Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 In all seriousness, this unearthing/discovery is fascinating. I love the notion that our immediate(relatively) past is still somewhat mysterious and ambiguous. Fossil evidence is limited, but i expect more to surface as years go by. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zguy28 Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 Are these the cannibalistic "Hobbits" featured on the Animal Planet special that encored last night? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riggo-toni Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 Why is it a hominin and not a hominid? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Evil Genius Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 Why is it a hominin and not a hominid? Hominid covers all modern and extinct Great Apes (including humans, chimps, etc.) Hominin refers specifically to humans and their extinct ancestors (of which some hominids are not). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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