JOURNAL ARTICLE

A puzzling, 3.4-million-year-old fossil foot belonged to a contemporary of the famed Lucy: Identity of the toe bones and other fossils could shake up the human family tree.

  • Published In: Sciencemag.org, 2025. P. N.PAG 1 of 3

  • Database: Applied Science & Technology Source Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Gibbons, Ann 3 of 3

Abstract

The article focuses on the identification of a 3.4-million-year-old fossilized foot found in Ethiopia, which has been linked to a newly recognized species of primitive human relative called Australopithecus deyiremeda. Recent discoveries of additional fossils, including jawbones and teeth, suggest that A. deyiremeda coexisted with another hominin, A. afarensis, in the Afar region, but had distinct dietary habits and physical traits. The findings challenge the long-held view of A. afarensis, exemplified by the famous Lucy skeleton, as the direct ancestor of later hominins, including the genus Homo. Researchers emphasize the need for further fossil evidence to solidify the connections between these species. [Extracted from the article]

Additional Information

  • Source:Sciencemag.org. 2025/11, pN.PAG
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:History
  • Publication Date:2025
  • Accession Number:189638649
  • Copyright Statement:Copyright of Sciencemag.org is the property of American Association for the Advancement of Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Looking to go deeper into this topic? Look for more articles on EBSCOhost.