A>> new fossil discovery means we’re finally able to look upon the face of our oldest ancestor. Paleontologists have discovered an almost-complete skull of Australopithecus anamensis, which has previously only been known from some jawbones, teeth and bits of leg bones. The new find allowed scientists to realistically recreate the hominin’s face for the first time – and it might just shake up the family tree.<<

https://newatlas.com/science/oldest-human-ancestor-skull-face-reconstruction/

Decent reconstruction, presumably a tame specimen :)

More questions arise though. We many never know our detailed pedigree.

PermeateFree said:

A>> new fossil discovery means we’re finally able to look upon the face of our oldest ancestor. Paleontologists have discovered an almost-complete skull of Australopithecus anamensis, which has previously only been known from some jawbones, teeth and bits of leg bones. The new find allowed scientists to realistically recreate the hominin’s face for the first time – and it might just shake up the family tree.<<

https://newatlas.com/science/oldest-human-ancestor-skull-face-reconstruction/

Also:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/38-million-year-old-skull-puts-new-face-little-known-human-ancestor-species-180973006/

PermeateFree said:

PermeateFree said:

A>> new fossil discovery means we’re finally able to look upon the face of our oldest ancestor. Paleontologists have discovered an almost-complete skull of Australopithecus anamensis, which has previously only been known from some jawbones, teeth and bits of leg bones. The new find allowed scientists to realistically recreate the hominin’s face for the first time – and it might just shake up the family tree.<<

https://newatlas.com/science/oldest-human-ancestor-skull-face-reconstruction/

Also:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/38-million-year-old-skull-puts-new-face-little-known-human-ancestor-species-180973006/

Brilliant skull for such an early date. 3.8 million.

Nice to see a photo of a prehistoric skull where you can see the real size of it. A lot smaller than modern human. I wonder how it compares to chimp/bonobo skull. Human-chimpanzee divergence occurred about 7 million years ago, but the two may have been interbreeding as recently as the time of Australopithecus anamensis.

> Haile-Selassie and colleagues

Now that’s a familiar name … from somewhere. Was it the two Ronnies who referred to him as “highly-delighted”?

The god of the Rastafari. Former Ethiopian leader.

Michael V said:

The god of the Rastafari. Former Ethiopian leader.

The left image here is the more recent A afaransis.

Note the similarity, but the lack of the sagittal crest seen on the skull above.