Latest news with #Arizona State University
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Science
- Daily Mail
Mysterious species found living alongside our earliest ancestors deemed missing link in evolution
A lost chapter in human evolution has been discovered among a collection of teeth that dates back 2.8 million years. Researchers from Arizona State University announced that they have found a previously unknown species of ancient humans that appear to have coexisted with members of the genus Homo, our direct ancestors, in Africa. The team added that this era, between 2.6 and 2.8 million years ago, was a critical period in human evolution because it marked the earliest appearance of the Homo species ever found. Researchers also discovered the oldest known stone tools at the Ledi-Geraru site in the Afar region of Ethiopia. In 2013, another team unearthed a 2.8-million-year-old Homo jawbone at the same site. However, the 13 teeth uncovered here recently do not belong to our direct ancestors. Instead, the research team found that they came from a new member of the Australopithecus species, a group closely related to modern humans who lived in Africa between two and four million years ago. Unlike previous fossils from the species Australopithecus afarensis, these teeth were noticeably different, showing that a new evolution of early humans developed in this region and overlapped with members of our family tree. Researchers said this lost Australopithecus species suggests that human evolution was complex, with multiple species coexisting, not just a simple progression from ape to human. The most famous member of the Australopithecus afarensis species has been a fossil named 'Lucy,' whose fossil skeleton was discovered in 1974 in Hadar, Ethiopia. Australopithecus walked upright, a key human trait, but examinations of skull fragments have found they had smaller brains and ape-like features, such as larger teeth and robust jaws for chewing tough plants. However, researchers have not been able to find any fossils at the Ledi-Geraru site that match Lucy's species. The differences in the 13 Australopithecus teeth unearthed there, along with the presence of the Homo species, suggest that Lucy's species did live beyond 2.95 million years ago, according to the study in Nature. ASU paleoecologist Kaye Reed said: 'This new research shows that the image many of us have in our minds of an ape to a Neanderthal to a modern human is not correct — evolution doesn't work like that.' 'Here we have two hominin species that are together. And human evolution is not linear; it's a bushy tree, there are life forms that go extinct,' Reed added in a statement. The 'bushy tree' theory Reed mentioned refers to the concept of multiple early human species living simultaneously in ancient times. Some would go extinct while others would lead to the development of modern humans, like the species Homo. Researchers added that the new fossils don't represent a single 'missing link' but rather show evidence of diverse overlap during this evolutionary period. 'We know what the teeth and mandible of the earliest Homo look like, but that's it,' Reed explained. 'This emphasizes the critical importance of finding additional fossils to understand the differences between Australopithecus and Homo, and potentially how they were able to overlap in the fossil record at the same location,' the study author continued. The genus Homo includes modern humans and our closest extinct relatives. The Ledi-Geraru Homo fossils, including the new teeth and the previously found jawbone, revealed that early Homo individuals likely had slightly larger brains and smaller teeth than Australopithecus. This suggests that the human diet was already shifting millions of years ago towards more meat or softer plants than Lucy's species ate. These humans also learned to use primitive tools, which the ASU researchers also found at the site. The fossils' age was determined by dating volcanic ash layers containing feldspar crystals, a method that pinpoints the time of eruptions sandwiching the fossils. The Ledi-Geraru landscape, once a vegetated area with rivers and lakes, was much different than today's arid badlands. The ASU team noted that future research will focus on tooth enamel to explore diet and potential interactions between the Homo and Australopithecus, such as whether these species competed for food or peacefully lived in different ecological regions of Africa.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Science
- Daily Mail
Missing chapter of human evolution dating back 2.8 million years uncovered in Africa
A lost chapter in human evolution has been discovered among a collection of teeth which dates back 2.8 million years. Researchers from Arizona State University announced that they have found a previously unknown species of ancient humans which appear to have coexisted with members of the genus Homo, our direct ancestors, in Africa. The team added that this era, between 2.6 and 2.8 million years ago, was a critical period in human evolution because it marks the earliest appearance of the Homo species ever found. Researchers also discovered the oldest known stone tools at the Ledi-Geraru site in the Afar region of Ethiopia. In 2013, another team unearthed a 2.8-million-year-old Homo jawbone at the same site. However, the 13 teeth uncovered here recently do not belong to our direct ancestors. Instead, the research team found that they came from a new member of the Australopithecus species, a group closely related to modern humans who lived in Africa between two and four million years ago. Unlike previous fossils from the species Australopithecus afarensis, these teeth were noticeably different, showing that a new evolution of early humans developed in this region and overlapped with members of our family tree. Researchers said this lost Australopithecus species suggests that human evolution was complex, with multiple species coexisting, not just a simple progression from ape to human. The most famous member of the Australopithecus afarensis species has been a fossil named 'Lucy,' whose fossil skeleton was discovered in 1974 in Hadar, Ethiopia. Australopithecus walked upright, a key human trait, but examinations of skull fragments have found they had smaller brains and ape-like features, such as larger teeth and robust jaws for chewing tough plants. However, researchers have not been able to find any fossils at the Ledi-Geraru site which match Lucy's species. The differences in the 13 Australopithecus teeth unearthed there, along with the presence of the Homo species, suggests that Lucy's species did live beyond 2.95 million years ago. ASU paleoecologist Kaye Reed said: 'This new research shows that the image many of us have in our minds of an ape to a Neanderthal to a modern human is not correct — evolution doesn't work like that.' 'Here we have two hominin species that are together. And human evolution is not linear, it's a bushy tree, there are life forms that go extinct,' Reed added in a statement. The 'bushy tree' theory Reed mentioned refers to the concept of multiple early human species living simultaneously in ancient times. Some would go extinct while others would lead to the development of modern humans, like the species Homo. Researchers added that the new fossils don't represent a single 'missing link' but rather show evidence of diverse overlapping during this evolutionary period. 'We know what the teeth and mandible of the earliest Homo look like, but that's it,' Reed explained. 'This emphasizes the critical importance of finding additional fossils to understand the differences between Australopithecus and Homo, and potentially how they were able to overlap in the fossil record at the same location,' the study author continued. The genus Homo includes modern humans and our closest extinct relatives. The Ledi-Geraru Homo fossils, including the new teeth and the previously found jawbone, revealed that early Homo individuals likely had slightly larger brains and smaller teeth than Australopithecus. This suggests that the human diet was already shifting millions of years ago towards more meat or softer plants than Lucy's species ate. These humans also learned to use primitive tools, which the ASU researchers also found at the site. The fossils' age was determined by dating volcanic ash layers containing feldspar crystals, a method that pinpoints the time of eruptions sandwiching the fossils. The Ledi-Geraru landscape, once a vegetated area with rivers and lakes, was much different than today's arid badlands. The ASU team noted that future research will focus on tooth enamel to explore diet and potential interactions between the Homo and Australopithecus, such as whether these species competed for food or peacefully lived in different ecological regions of Africa.
Yahoo
08-08-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Earth or Mars? See the 'deceptively' clear blue sky spotted on the Red Planet
The Martian forecast will almost always include a red sky, but a recent panorama captured by NASA's rover Perseverance shows what a blue sky would look like on the Red Planet. Iron in the dust on Mars is what gives the planet its rusty hue. In its natural color, a photo taken at a location dubbed "Falbreen" is very red. In the name of science, imaging teams enhanced the color-contrast on the image to reveal more details. Largest Chunk Of Mars Discovered On Earth Sells At Auction For $5.3 Million The final panoramic image is a mosaic of 96 images taken at a location by the Perseverance rover. "The relatively dust-free skies provide a clear view of the surrounding terrain," said Jim Bell, Mastcam-Z's principal investigator at Arizona State University in Tempe. "And in this particular mosaic, we have enhanced the color contrast, which accentuates the differences in the terrain and sky." The image below is not enhanced and shows the true reddish tint of the clear Martian sky. Cool Rocks: Nasa's Mars Rover Shows Off Its Rock Core Collection The bright white patch in the image left of the center is where Perseverance drilled its 43rd hole since its landing. Drilling into the red rock and dirt allows the rover's science team to see what is below before deciding to take a sample. Eventually, the Mars Sample Return mission will bring back some of these samples to article source: Earth or Mars? See the 'deceptively' clear blue sky spotted on the Red Planet Solve the daily Crossword
