A "missing link" between humans and their apelike ancestors has been discovered.
Published: 9:00PM BST 03 Apr 2010
Homo habilis lived 2.0-1.6 million years ago and had a wide distribution in Africa Photo: SPL
Scientists believe the almost-complete fossilised skeleton belonged to a previously-unknown type of early human ancestor that may have been a intermediate stage as ape-men evolved into the first species of advanced humans, Homo habilis.
The new discovery could help to rewrite the history of human evolution by filling in crucial gaps in the scientific knowledge.
Most fossilised hominid remains are little more than scattered fragments of bone, so the discovery of an almost-complete skeleton will allow scientists to answer key questions about what our early ancestors looked like and when they began walking upright on two legs.
Palaeontologists and human evolutionary experts behind the discovery have remained silent about the exact details of what they have uncovered, but the scientific community is already abuzz with anticipation of the announcement of the find when it is made on Thursday.
The skeleton was found by Professor Lee Berger, from the University of the Witwatersrand, while exploring cave systems in the Sterkfontein region of South Africa, near Johannesburg, an area known as "the Cradle of Humanity".
The find is deemed to be so significant that Jacob Zuma, the South African president, has visited the university to view the fossils and a major media campaign with television documentaries is planned.
Professor Phillip Tobias, an eminent human anatomist and anthropologist at the university who was one of three experts to first identify Homo habilis as a new species of human in 1964, described the latest discovery as "wonderful" and "exciting".
Although not directly involved in the excavation and subsequent research on the fossils, he is one of the select few scientists outside the research group who have been able to see the skeletons.
He said: "To find a skeleton as opposed to a couple of teeth or an arm bone is a rarity.
"It is one thing to find a lower jaw with a couple of teeth, but it is another thing to find the jaw joined onto the skull, and those in turn uniting further down with the spinal column, pelvis and the limb bones.
"It is not a single find, but several specimens representing several individuals. The remains now being brought to light by Dr Berger and his team are wonderful."
The new fossil skeleton was found along with a number of other partially-complete fossils, encased within breccia sedimentary rock inside a limestone cave known as Malapa cave.
The protection from the elements provided by the cave is thought to have played a large part in keeping the fossils so well preserved.
The fossil record of early humans is notoriously patchy and scientists now hope that the that the new remains will provide fresh clues about how our species evolved.
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Read more here/Leia mais aqui: Telegraph
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NOTA IMPERTINENTE DESTE BLOGGER:
Eu tenho um amigo cientista Tim Standish que criou uma lei sobre 'elos perdidos': assim como a lei de Moore diz que a cada 18 meses o poder dos processadores dobra de capacidade, assim na tentativa de corroboração da evolução humana os cientistas 'descobrirão' novos fósseis de elos perdidos que serão alardeados com grande fanfarra sem nenhum ceticismo pela Grande Mídia para logo em seguida serem 'destronados' desta posição na cadeia evolutiva humana.
Eu acho que o meu amigo Tim Standish está certo...
