[r9etb]

The skulls are not an exact match to those of people living today; they are slightly larger, longer and have more pronounced brow ridges.

These minor but important differences have prompted the US/Ethiopian research team to assign the skulls to a new subspecies of humans called Homo sapiens idaltu (idaltu means "elder" in the local Afar language).

I dunno -- it seems like a stretch to define a whole new sub-species on the basis of three skulls that could arguably have come from a single family.

[plusone]

Good point. Science can get a lot of mileage out of such scant evidence if it serves their purpose.

[Mamzelle]

re: I dunno -- it seems like a stretch ...)))

Why not stretch if there's no way to say you nay? When scientists examine the origins of life, humanity, and the universe, they are well aware that no true accountability is possible. So, creative juices can flow with impunity.