What is the significance of the Burtele foot bones found in Ethiopia?

The Burtele foot bones, dated to 3.4 million years ago, have been linked to Australopithecus deyiremeda, a species coexisting with Lucy's kind and challenging her ancestral lineage.

Who is Yohannes Haile-Selassie and what did he discover?

Yohannes Haile-Selassie led the team that discovered the Burtele foot bones and identified Australopithecus deyiremeda, a new hominin species in Ethiopia.

How does Australopithecus deyiremeda differ from Lucy's species?

Australopithecus deyiremeda had an opposable toe, a different walking style, and ate trees and shrubs, unlike Lucy's species which had a more varied diet.

Home / Science / Ethiopian Fossils Rewrite Human Family Tree

Ethiopian Fossils Rewrite Human Family Tree

8 Dec, 2025

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Summary

Australopithecus deyiremeda, a new hominin species, coexisted with Lucy's kind.
Fossils suggest diverse bipedalism and distinct diets among early hominins.
This discovery challenges Lucy's species as the sole direct human ancestor.

Ethiopian Fossils Rewrite Human Family Tree

Paleoanthropologists have identified a new hominin species, Australopithecus deyiremeda, whose fossils were found in Ethiopia's Afar region. These 3.4 million-year-old remains, including the perplexing Burtele foot bones and a jawbone with teeth, suggest this species lived contemporaneously with the famed Australopithecus afarensis, known from the Lucy skeleton.

The study indicates that A. deyiremeda possessed unique locomotive adaptations, likely walking on its second toe, and consumed a diet of trees and shrubs, differing from Lucy's more varied food sources. This coexistence challenges the notion that Lucy's species was the only significant hominin present during that period.

These findings could significantly reshape the human evolutionary tree, suggesting that A. afarensis might not be the direct ancestor of all subsequent hominins, including Homo sapiens. Instead, A. deyiremeda and other species may have emerged from a common ancestor, presenting a more complex and bushier family tree.