Free Republic

It can be shown for the first time after a near complete skull of Australopithecus anamensis was found in Ethiopia. The ape-like adult male was about 5ft and weighed about 100lbs. Females were about 3ft 5in and around 62lbs. An upper jaw was found first. Dr Yohannes Haile-Selassie, of Cleveland Museum of Natural History, told journal Nature: “I couldn’t believe my eyes when I spotted the rest. "It was a dream come true.” "This is a game changer in our understanding of human evolution during the Pliocene." Professor Fred Spoor, an expert in anatomy at London's Natural History Museum, said...

Jawbones from an early human ancestor, found recently in northeast Ethiopia, could shine light on a murky period of human evolution, paleontologists say. The bones were found in the fossil-rich Afar region, just 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of the spot where the famed skeleton of "Lucy" -- early human ancestor who lived 3.2 million years ago -- was unearthed in 1974... The new bones are believed to date from 3.8 million to 3.5 million years ago. Though more research needs to be done, the group says the bones could bridge the gap between two known human ancestor species. Australopithecus...

LONDON (Reuters) - An international team of scientists have discovered 4.1 million year old fossils in eastern Ethiopia that fill a missing gap in human evolution. ADVERTISEMENT The teeth and bones belong to a primitive species of Australopithecus known as Au. anamensis, an ape-man creature that walked on two legs.