New Homo fossil rewrites human evolution

A new jaw fossil suggests that the Homo genus – modern humans and their close relatives – arose by about 2.8 million years ago, almost half a million years earlier than previous evidence had indicated

Fossil presents five teeth still intact 

Fossil known as LD 350-1 combines primitive Australopithecus traits with more modern Homo features

AFRICA

Ledi-Geraru research area, Ethiopia: Fossil unearthed in 2013

Until now earliest credible fossil evidence of our genus – Homo habilis (below) – dated to around 2.3 or 2.4 million years ago

Age of LD 350-1 fossil believed to be around 2.8m years old

Temporal ranges

Inferred relationships

Homo rudolfensis (habilis)

Homo habilis 

Australopithecus africanus

Australopithecus anamensis

Kenyanthropus platyops

Orrorin tugenensis

Australopithecus garhi

Australopithecus afarensis

Australopithecus bahrelghazali

Ardipithecus ramidus

Ardipithecus kadabba

Sahelanthropus tchadensis

Homo sapiens

Homo neanderthalensis

Homo heidelbergensis

Homo erectus

Homo ergaster (erectus)

Paranthropus aethiopicus

Paranthropus boisei

Paranthropus robustus

Rise of modern humans

MILLIONS OF YEARS AGO

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Sources: Science, Encyclopedia Britannica
Picture: Science