Archaeologists have found a contemporary of “ex-great-grandmother” of humanity – BBC

Archaeologists have discovered the remains of hominids that lived on our planet 3.3-3.5 million years ago and belonged to a previously unknown to science mean Australopithecus deyiremeda. Scientists have published the results of their research in the journal Nature .

The oldest common ancestor of humans and apes belong to the species Ardipithecus ramidus, his remains were discovered in Ethiopia in 1994. The owner of the skeleton lived 4.4 million years ago, for which he rightfully earned the nickname “the great-grandmother of humanity.” Scientists say that Ardi – such name has received hominid – not a chimpanzee and thus refers to a branch of the people, that is the oldest known to science is the common ancestor of humans and apes. Hardy took the title of Lucy – representative species Australopithecus afarensis, which lived in what is now Ethiopia 3.2 million years ago.

A group of archaeologists from Ethiopia, the US, Germany and Spain, found in the territory of Afar, 35 km from the place of discovery of the remains of Lucy, jawbones and teeth of hominids, whose age, as shown by tests, ranging from 3.3 to 3.5 million years. Type to which the hominid, called Australopithecus deyiremeda. The researchers believe that their discovery will make a significant contribution to the study of ancient ancestors of people.