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Little Foot Fossil: A New Branch on Human Tree?
14 Dec
Summary
- Little Foot skeleton may represent a new human ancestor species.
- Australian researchers found significant skull differences.
- This could indicate an entirely new lineage in human evolution.
A recent study led by Australian researchers suggests the renowned Little Foot fossil, unearthed in South Africa's Sterkfontein cave system, might represent a previously unknown species of human ancestor. Publicly revealed in 2017, Little Foot is the most complete Australopithecus skeleton discovered, with its initial foot bones found in 1994.
While previously attributed to *Australopithecus prometheus* or *Australopithecus africanus*, the new research indicates significant differences, particularly in the skull's nuchal plane. These distinctions suggest Little Foot could belong to an entirely new, unsampled lineage, potentially adding a new limb to the human evolutionary tree.
The findings, published in the American Journal of Biological Anthropology, propose a re-evaluation of this remarkably complete specimen. While the research team advises the excavating team to formally name any new species, the discovery sparks exciting questions about the complexity of early human evolution.
