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Africa Feature: Landmark discovery of fossils in Kenya stirs debate
of linear evolution (2) |
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08:08, August 10, 2007 |
The study finds they must have co-existed, exploiting different habitats at the same time, he told journalists in Nairobi.
"They were kind of sisters, if you like. Homo habilis never gave rise to Homo erectus. These discoveries have completely changed the story," he said.
The new fossils were discovered by the National Museum of Kenya in collaboration with the Koobi Fora Research Project, an international group of scientists directed by Meave and Louise Leakey.
The skull is the smallest Homo erectus found thus far anywhere in the world. The other fossil is an upper jaw bone of Homo habilis that dates from 1.44 million years ago, which is more recent than previously known of that species.
From the skull''s small size, the scientists concluded that Homo erectus was, in one important respect, less humanlike than had been previously assumed.
Other erectus skull and skeletal fossils had seemed to show erectus to be the first human ancestor that was like us in so many ways, except for a smaller brain.
NMK Director General, Idle Farah, said that the latest discovery shows that the museums continue to play an important role in research to establish the origin of early man.
[1] [2] [3] [4]
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