Older Than Assumed?
The BBC reports that Fossil finds extend human story
An ancient human-like creature that may be a direct ancestor to our species has been described by researchers.
The assessment of the 4.4-million-year-old animal called Ardipithecus ramidus is reported in the journal Science.
Even if it is not on the direct line to us, it offers new insights into how we evolved from the common ancestor we share with chimps, the team says.
The headline should include “may” as it isn’t accepted yet that “Ardi” is a direct ancestor, she may be a cousin in part of the family that moved away early on.
This find is really interesting in light of the environment in which Ardi lived, woodlands, while most assumed hominids switched to bipedal walking on the savannas.
