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Press Release 05-008
Really Old Bones of Early Humans Unearthed in Ethiopia
Researcher uncovers four-million-year-old ancestral fossils
January 19, 2005
Arlington, Va.— An Indiana University team of anthropologists has excavated fossils of early humans in Gona, in the Afar region of Ethiopia, which they believe come from nine individuals of the species Ardipithecus ramidus who lived between 4.3 and 4.5 million years ago.
The research is reported in the Jan. 20, issue of the journal Nature.
"While biomolecular evidence helps us to date the timing of major events in the evolution of apes and humans, there is no substitute for fossils when it comes to trying to picture the anatomy and behavioral capabilities of our early relatives," said Mark Weiss, program officer at the National Science Foundation, which partially funded the research. "The late Miocene-early Pliocene is a particularly important era as it was roughly at that time that our ancestors and those of the chimpanzee parted company. Each new fossil helps to tell a bit more of the story of these early stages in human origins."
Several Ethiopian dig sites have yielded hominid fossils from that time period. The Gona site was previously known for the excavation of the oldest stone tools ever discovered. Plant and animal fossils indicate that these early humans lived in a low-lying area with swamps, springs, streams, and volcanic centers, with a mosaic of woodlands and grasslands.
-NSF-
Media Contacts
Elizabeth Malone, NSF (703) 292-8070 emalone@nsf.gov
Program Contacts
Mark L. Weiss, NSF (703) 292-7321 mweiss@nsf.gov
Principal Investigators
Sileshi Semaw, CRAFT Stone Age Institute, Indiana University (812) 876-0080 ssemaw@indiana.edu
Related Websites
The Stone Age Institute: http://www.stoneageinstitute.org/c_home.shtml
See another image of the Gona finds: http://newsinfo.iu.edu/asset/page/normal/622.html
See the whole storyat the Indiana University's news site: http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/1822.html
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering. In fiscal year (FY) 2009, its budget is $9.5 billion, which includes $3.0 billion provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to over 1,900 universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives about 44,400 competitive requests for funding, and makes over 11,500 new funding awards. NSF also awards over $400 million in professional and service contracts yearly.
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