Discover the human ancestors skull 2 ​​million years ago

Scientists say an ape-like primitive creature that lived about 2 million years ago was the one that "paved the way" for people today.

This creature named Australopithecus sediba was discovered in a cave in South Africa and is called "the missing link" between apes and humans.

The right hand bone of Australopithecus sediba

One of the two skeletons from Australopithecus Sediba is
published at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.

The skeleton was discovered dating back to 1,977 million years

Currently, new details about the brain, pelvis, hands and feet of this species clearly show that they are our long-standing relatives both in terms of primitive characteristics and human-like traits. and more modern.

According to 5 new articles published in Science, it is these characteristics that scientists have suspected of Au. Sediba is the best candidate for the ancestors of the genus Homo.

Au. Sediba caused "fever" in newspapers last year after a 9-year-old son of a scientist discovered part of the skeleton of a boy aged 10 to 13, weighing about 27kg during an excavation. in Malapa.

3D image of the Australopithecus sediba skull

Continuing to explore, scientists discovered the skeleton of a woman about 30 years old weighing about 33kg.

Both this woman and the boy are confirmed as members of the new Australopithecus species.

Because fossils of at least 25 animals, including sword-tooth cats, a wild cat, a brown hyena, a wild dog, antelopes and a horse are also found in this cave. So scientists believe this deep place is like a deadly trap for those who go to find drinking water.

Au species. Sediba walks on two legs and has hips like us, but retains some more primitive features such as long arms and smaller brains.

Professor Lee Berger from Witwatersrand University in Johannesburg, who led the project, said: 'Many advanced features are found in the brain and the body that causes Au. Sediba may be the best candidate for our breed - more appropriate than previous findings like Homo habilis (the earliest human ever seen) ".