Tag Archives: Coexisted

Two Australopithecus Species Coexisted in Ethiopia 3.4 Million Years Ago

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In 2009, paleoanthropologists uncovered eight foot bones from ancient human ancestors in 3.4 million-year-old deposits at the Wolanso Mir site in Ethiopia’s Afar Rift Valley. A new study reveals that this fossil, known as Brutele’s foot, belongs to Australopithecus deiremeda. This finding adds to the evidence that two hominin species, Australopithecus deiremeda and Australopithecus afarensis, coexisted in the same region at the same time.

Australopithecus deiremeda and Australopithecus afarensis. Image credit: Gemini AI.

“When we found this foot in 2009 and announced it in 2012, we recognized it was distinct from Lucy’s species, although Australopithecus afarensis has received significant attention since then,” stated Professor Johannes Haile Selassie from Arizona State University.

“Typically, naming a species based on postcranial elements is uncommon in our field, so we anticipated finding something distinctly linked to the feet from the neck up.

“Traditionally, the skull, jaw, and teeth are the primary markers for species identification.”

“When Bartele’s foot was first reported, some teeth had already been found in the same area, but we weren’t certain they were from the same deposit level.”

“Then in 2015, scientists classified a new species, Australopithecus deiremeda, from the same region, but the foot was not included, despite other specimens being unearthed nearby.”

“Over the last decade, our repeated fieldwork has yielded more fossils, allowing us to confidently link Brutele’s foot to the species Australopithecus deiremeda.”

Australopithecus deiremeda exhibits more primitive foot structures compared to Lucy’s species, Australopithecus afarensis.

While retaining an opposable thumb useful for climbing, it is believed that Australopithecus deiremeda likely walked on two legs, with an emphasis on their second toes rather than their big toes, as is the case with modern humans.

“The presence of an opposable big toe in Ardipithecus ramidus was a surprising and unexpected finding, highlighting that 4.4 million years ago, early human ancestors still possessed opposable big toes,” remarked Professor Haile Selassie.

“Then, a million years later, the discovery of Brutele’s foot further amazed us.”

“Currently, we’re in an era where we can observe subsequent species. Members of Australopithecus afarensis had an adducted big toe and displayed complete bipedalism.”

“This indicates that bipedalism, or walking on two legs, manifested in diverse forms among these early human ancestors.”

“The discovery of specimens like Bartele’s foot conveys that there were multiple ways to walk bipedally. It wasn’t until later that a single method emerged.”

To gain insights into their dietary practices, researchers sampled eight of the 25 teeth found in the area related to Australopithecus deiremeda for isotope analysis.

This process involved cleaning the tooth to ensure only the enamel was analyzed.

“I extracted the tooth using a dental drill with a very small bit, similar to what dentists use,” explained Naomi Levin, a professor at the University of Michigan.

“Using this drill, we meticulously remove a small amount of powder, which we store in a vial and return to the lab for isotope analysis.”

“The results were intriguing: Lucy’s species displayed a mixed diet, consuming both C3 (from trees and shrubs) and C4 (tropical grasses and sedges) plants; while Australopithecus deiremeda primarily utilized resources from the C3 category.”

“We were taken aback by how distinctly clear the carbon isotope signal was, mirroring ancient hominin data from Australopithecus ramidus and Australopithecus anamensis.

“I considered the dietary differences between Australopithecus deiremeda and Australopithecus afarensis. Although identifying them was challenging, the isotopic data distinctly indicated that Australopithecus deiremeda was not exploiting the same range of resources as Australopithecus afarensis, known as the earliest hominin to consume C4 grass-based resources.”

Another significant analysis involved accurately dating the fossils and understanding the ancient environments inhabited by these early humans.

“We conducted extensive field research at Wolanso Mir to analyze how different fossil layers interrelate, which is essential for grasping when and in what environments different species thrived,” noted Professor Beverly Thaler from Case Western Reserve University.

In addition to the 25 teeth found at Bartele, researchers also recovered the jaw of a four-and-a-half-year-old child, displaying dental anatomy similar to that of a juvenile Australopithecus deiremeda.

Professor Gary Schwartz from Arizona State University commented: “In juvenile hominins of this age, we observed evident growth discontinuity between front teeth (incisors) and back chewing teeth (molars), akin to patterns in modern apes and early australopiths like Lucy.”

“The most surprising aspect was that, despite gaining a better understanding of the diversity within early australopith (and thus early hominid) species regarding size, diet, locomotion, and anatomy, these early forms appeared surprisingly uniform in growth patterns.”

Findings have been detailed in a paper published in this week’s edition of Nature.

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Y. Haile Selassie et al. New discovery illuminates the diet and lifestyle of Australopithecus deiremeda. Nature published online November 26, 2025. doi: 10.1038/s41586-025-09714-4

Source: www.sci.news

Mysterious Footprint Indicates Another Early Human Relative Coexisted with Lucy

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In a recent breakthrough regarding human evolution, researchers have unveiled that a peculiar foot unearthed in Ethiopia is from a yet-to-be-identified ancient relative.

The findings, released on Wednesday in the journal Nature, indicate the foot dates back approximately 3.4 million years and likely bears similarities to Lucy, another ancient human relative who inhabited the region around the same period.

However, scientists have revealed that Burtele’s foot, named after the site in northeastern Ethiopia where it was discovered in 2009, is distinctly different.

The fossil of Bartel’s foot has an opposable thumb akin to that of humans, suggesting its owner was a proficient climber, likely spending more time in trees compared to Lucy, according to the study.

Elements of Brutere’s foot discovered in Ethiopia in 2009.
Johannes Haile Selassie/Arizona Institute of Human Origins (via AFP)

For many years, Lucy’s species was believed to be the common ancestor of all subsequent hominids, serving as a more ancient relative to humans, including Homo sapiens, in contrast to chimpanzees.

Researchers were unable to confirm that the foot belonged to a novel species until they examined additional fossils found in the same vicinity, including a jawbone with twelve teeth.

After identifying these remains as Australopithecus deiremeda, they determined that Bartele’s feet were from the same species.

John Rowan, an assistant professor of human evolution at the University of Cambridge, expressed that their conclusions were “very reasonable.”

“We now have stronger evidence that closely related, yet adaptively distinct species coexisted,” Rowan, who was not part of the study, communicated in an email to NBC News on Thursday.

The research also examined how these species interacted within the same environment. The team, led by Johannes Haile Selassie of Arizona State University, suggested that the newly identified species spent considerable time in wooded areas.

The study proposed that Lucy, or Australopithecus afarensis, was likely traversing the open land, positing that the two species probably had divergent diets and utilized their habitats in distinct ways.

Various analyses of the newly found tooth revealed that A. deiremeda was more primitive than Lucy and likely fed on leaves, fruits, and nuts, the study indicated.

“These distinctions suggest they are less likely to directly compete for identical resources,” remarked Ashley Los Angeles-Wiseman, an assistant professor at the Macdonald Institute of Archaeology at the University of Cambridge.

In an email on Thursday, Wiseman highlighted the significant implications of this discovery for our understanding of evolution, stating that it “reminds us that human evolution is not a linear progression of one species evolving into the next.”

Instead, she asserted, it should be viewed as a branching family tree with numerous so-called “cousins” existing simultaneously, each adopting various survival strategies. “Did they interact? We may never know the answer to that,” she concluded.

Rowan also noted that as the number of well-documented species related to humans increases, so do the inquiries concerning our ancestry. “Which species were our direct ancestors? Which species were our close relatives? That’s the challenge,” he remarked. “As species diversity ascends, so too do the avenues for plausible reconstructions of how human evolution unfolded.”

Wiseman cautioned that definitive species classifications should rely on well-preserved skulls and fossil fragments belonging to multiple related individuals. While the new study bolsters the case for A. deiremeda, it “does not dismiss all other alternative interpretations,” she stated.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Early Chinese Humans Coexisted with Small Cat Species

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I was named PRIONAILURUS KURTENIThe new cat’s species are the smallest known fossil members of the Wissil family.

PRIONAILURUS KURTENI It was as small as a cat with rusty spots (PRIONAILURUS RUBIGINOSUS) Image credit: David V. Raju / CC by-Sa 4.0.

PRIONAILURUS KURTENI About 300,000 years ago, I currently lived in southern China in the middle of the world.

“The southern eastern Asia and southern China are outstanding as the diversity of Lexae, which has four types of leopard cats, especially Ferini’s hot pot. PRIONAILURUS2 kinds of golden cats KatopmaOne kind of marble cat PardofelisAnd one kind of wild cat, Ferris ChaussDr. Jiangzuo of the Chinese Academy and his colleagues vertebrates of vertebrates and the Anti -Anthropology Institute.

“Most ferrini species share the characteristics of similar teeth, but shows the difference between the body size and ecological niche, which is an example of mammals in forest areas, which is a diversification/radiation example.”

“However, the history of the evolution of Ferrini in southern Asia and southern China is hardly known for the relatively rare fossil area of ​​the forest area. Records, some are isolated teeth that have not been diagnosed in Ferini. Separately.

The newly identified cat species belongs to PRIONAILURUSA natural genus of a wild cat with small spots native to Asia.

“The genus PRIONAILURUS Four (or five) are the most diverse grids in the south and southeast forests of Asia, and four (or five) have known species.

“The molecular dating system supports the renewal radiation of the genus late world.”

“However, the fossil species of the genus are not known (all are known are existing or SP. SP. It is often the genus. Ferris), And the fossils of the genus are very rare. “

“I explain this fact. The first is a rare fossil cats in southern China, mainly represented by cave sediments, and small bones are often rare. The second is careful. It is a historic assignment of all small cats to Ferris without revising these materials.

Small lower jaw fragments PRIONAILURUS KURTENI Discovered in Hualongdong Cave I, a fossil Homo A region at the southernmost tip of Anfiy, China.

“The dating of the uranium series gives the range of 275, 00 to 331 and 00 years of fossils. Homo Researchers say that the layer goes from stage 9E to 8c of the ocean isotopes. “

“The fossil cats explained in this study were also obtained from this layer.”

PRIONAILURUS KURTENI It represents known fossil members so far.

Ancient species are comparable to two minimum modern cats. Cat with rusty spots (PRIONAILURUS RUBIGINOSUS) and Black foot cat (Ferris Niglipes)。

“Identification of PRIONAILURUS KURTENI Potentially suggests high diversity PRIONAILURUS In the past, we emphasize the importance of reconsidering small cat department classification methods to better understand the evolution and diversification of this family. “

Their paper Published in the journal Annales Zoologici Fennici。

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Mt. et al。 2024. PRIONAILURUS KURTENI (Carnivora, Carnivora), HUALONGDONG’s update of HUALONGDONG in the southern China is a small new species of a small native fossil area Hominin area. Annales Zoologici Fennici 61 (1): 335-342; DOI: 10.5735/086.061.0120

Source: www.sci.news

Ancient Footprints Reveal Two Human Relative Species Coexisted Together

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overview

  • Ancient footprints discovered in Kenya belong to two different species of human relatives who walked on the same ground at the same time, a study has found.
  • This coat of arms is thought to belong to the species Homo erectus and Paranthropus boisei.
  • This discovery raised questions about what kind of relationship and interaction the two species had.

A newly discovered set of footprints in Kenya provides the first evidence that two different species of ancient human relatives walked on the same ground at the same time 1.5 million years ago.

Researchers involved in the discovery say the footprints belong to the species Homo erectus and Paranthropus boisei, and were left within hours to days of each other, meaning that when the two crossed paths, reveals new mysteries about what happened.

According to research on this discovery, Published in Science on Thursdaythe footprints were buried in dry mud near a lake in northern Kenya, and were buried in deposits of prominent fossil sites. By analyzing the print shapes and strike patterns, the researchers found that the two sets were different. They concluded that the best explanation was that two different species left the footprints.

This research advances anthropologists and paleontologists’ understanding that ancient human relatives likely interacted and coexisted. This also raises the question of what kind of relationship these species had.

“We think these individuals, the two species that were there, were probably aware that there were members of another species nearby. They saw each other and thought each other was a member of another species. “This raises the question of what that interaction was,” said Kevin Hatala, an associate professor of biology at Chatham University and lead author of the study. “Were they competitors? Were they totally okay with each other there?”

Previously discovered fossil skeletons of Homo erectus and Paranthropus boisei indicated that both species lived in the area at some point, but the new discovery provides evidence of a direct duplication.

Research team members excavate to reveal footprints.
Neil T. Roach / Harvard University

It also shows that the two species walked on two legs in very different ways.

Although both Homo erectus and Paranthropus boisei are related to humans, they have very different characteristics and their fates in the human evolutionary tree took very different paths.

Homo erectus had an anatomy similar to humans from the neck down. This species may have used stone tools and cooked over fire. Its members probably had a varied diet that included meat.
The species eventually spread to Asia, Indonesia, and other regions, and survived for more than a million years after the newly discovered footprints were made.It last appeared in the fossil record just over 100,000 years ago..

“Many have considered themselves to be as good candidates as our direct ancestors,” Hatala said. “They seem to be a very successful species.”

Paranthropus boisei, on the other hand, featured a smaller brain, huge masticatory muscles, and large molar teeth. William Harcourt Smith, an associate professor of anthropology at Lehman College who was not involved in the study, said the species eats difficult-to-eat foods like hard nuts or grinds hard, poor-quality foods like shrubs. It is highly likely that they evolved in this way.

This species did not persist on Earth as long as Homo erectus.

“They probably went extinct not very long after that, within the next few hundred thousand years,” Hatala said, referring to the time of the footprints. He added that no one knows exactly what happened, but it’s possible that environmental changes may have restricted the animal’s specialized diet.

The footprints were first discovered in 2021 at a site called Koobi Fora while researchers were excavating other fossils. This location has become a fossil hotspot. The uplifted rocks expose older sedimentary layers on the surface, giving researchers access to the bones of ancient humans and other animals.

The following year, researchers unearthed about a dozen footprints that appeared to be walking in a line, and later discovered other footprints running at right angles.

“We think these footprints were created in the mud of this lakeshore environment. Something happened that brought sediment on top of it. It could have been deposited by a small flood or by rising water levels. “It’s possible that something was brought in and the footprints were formed and quickly buried,” Hatala said.

The muddy footprints were not trampled by other animals and showed no signs of cracking before being buried in the sand. Researchers said that means they were separated from each other within hours or days.

“The sediment protected them, prevented them from cracking, and allowed them to remain in the geological record,” Hatala said.

He and his co-authors believe that the two species may have been able to coexist in this region because their diets were very different. It is possible that they competed for resources and were in a hostile relationship. This species appears to have lived in the same area for hundreds of thousands of years.

Harcourt Smith, a research paleontologist at the American Museum of Natural History, said the researchers’ analysis was sound and the site was unique.

“I want to emphasize how unusual it is that a site like this exists, how special it is, and the great opportunity we have to find out more,” he said.

Broadly speaking, over the past seven million years of evolution, it has become increasingly clear that different ancient human species interacted in different habitats, Harcourt-Smith added. The evolutionary path to modern humans is full of side branches and species, such as Paranthropus boisei, which represent evolutionary dead ends.

“Human evolution is complex and messy, and there are many experiments being done. It’s not a straight line,” he said.

Over the past few decades, scientists have developed genetic and archaeological evidence showing that: Humans, Denisovans, and Neanderthals overlapped and sometimes interbred. Although the new study does not mention interbreeding, it does provide a clearer picture that even older species overlapped and had more interactions than previously understood.

The researchers completed their work at the Koobi Fora site, photographing and recording the footprints in a variety of ways before concealing them for future generations, said Craig, another author of the research paper.・Mr. Feibel said.

“The footprints need to be carefully refilled with non-damaging sediment to prevent erosion,” he says.


Source: www.nbcnews.com