Researchers uncover fossils of ancient human ancestor in Ethiopia

Researchers in the Afar region of Ethiopia have found ancient human fossils from 3.3 million to 3.5 million years ago.

The species has been called Australopithecus deyiremeda, the latter part meaning "close relative" in the language spoken in Afar. The researchers wrote in the journal Nature that they discovered jaw bones and teeth that they believe belonged to four individuals with both ape and human-like features. "We had to look at the detailed anatomy and morphology of the teeth and the upper and lower jaws, and we found major differences," lead researcher Dr. Yohannes Haile-Selassie, curator of physical anthropology at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, told BBC News. "This new species has very robust jaws. In addition, we see this new species had smaller teeth. The canine is really small — smaller than all known hominins we have documented in the past."

Because of the age of the fossils, this species likely lived with three other different species of early humans, and Haile-Selassie said more fossils need to be found to fully understand this stage in human evolution. He also said if more bones are unearthed, it could shed insight into how Australopithecus deyiremeda lived and interacted with other species.

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