Multiple Early Human Species 3.8 Million Years Ago
Credit: Cicero Moraes
Authors Dr. Yohannes Haile-Selassie and Dr. Denise Su of The Cleveland Museum of Natural History and Dr. Stephanie Melillo of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany provide an up-to-date review of middle Pliocene hominin fossils found in Ethiopia, Kenya and Chad. The researchers trace the fossil record, which illustrates a timeline placing multiple species overlapping in time and geographic space. Their insights spur further questions about how these early human ancestors were related and shared resources.
Credit: Wikimedia/http://www.archaeologyinfo.com/species.htm
PARKER (G.). Compact History of the World. London, HarperCollins Publishers, 2008, pp 12 – 13
“The Woranso-Mille paleontological study area in Ethiopia’s Afar region reveals that there were at least two, if not three, early human species living at the same time and in close geographic proximity,” said Haile-Selassie. “This key research site has yielded new and unexpected evidence indicating that there were multiple species with different locomotor and dietary adaptations. For nearly four decades, Australopithecus afarensis was the only known species — but recent discoveries are opening a new window into our evolutionary past.”
Co-author Dr. Denise Su, curator of paleobotany and paleoecology at The Cleveland Museum of Natural History, reconstructs ancient ecosystems. “These new fossil discoveries from Woranso-Mille are bringing forth avenues of research that we have not considered before,” said Su. “How did multiple closely related species manage to co-exist in a relatively small area? How did they partition the available resources? These new discoveries keep expanding our knowledge and, at the same time, raise more questions about human origins.”
Paleoanthropologists face the challenges and debates that arise from small sample sizes, poorly preserved prehistoric specimens and lack of evidence for ecological diversity. Questions remain about the relationships of middle Pliocene hominins and what adaptive strategies might have allowed for the coexistence of multiple, closely related species.
The Woranso-Mille Project:
The Woranso-Mille Paleontological project conducts field and laboratory work in Ethiopia every year. This multidisciplinary project is led by Dr. Yohannes Haile-Selassie of The Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Graduate and undergraduate students from Ethiopia and the United States of America also participate in the field and laboratory activities of the ongoing project.
The Authority for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage (ARCCH) of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Ethiopian government annually issues fieldwork research permit to the Woranso-Mille project. The National Museum of Ethiopia and the Directorate of Collections, Curation, and Laboratory Services of ARCCH provide laboratory research facility and fossil storage space. The Afar Regional State, Mille District administration, and the local Afar people of Waki and Waytaleyta areas facilitate the fieldwork. The Woranso-Mille project field and laboratory work are financially supported by grants from the L.S.B, Leakey Foundation, the National Geographic Society, The Cleveland Museum of Natural History and the National Science Foundation.
Contacts and sources:
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History,
Source: http://www.ineffableisland.com/2016/06/multiple-early-human-species-38-million.html
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