Oldest Hominid Remains Found in Ethiopia

[Lulu2]

+++++++++++++ If you've never been there, I'll say the Rift Valley is the hottest, dryest, most uncomfortable place you can imagine! This discovery is wonderful, of course, and even more so, if you think about the conditions the diggers were working in!



ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopian scientists unveiled on Wednesday a 3.3 million-year-old fossil of a girl, which they believe is the most complete skeleton ever found.

The fossil including an entire skull, torso, shoulder blade and various limbs was discovered at Dikaka, some 400 kms northeast of the capital Addis Ababa near the Awash river in the Rift Valley.

"The finding is the most complete hominid skeleton ever found in the world," Zeresenay Alemseged, head of the Paleoanthropological Research Team, told a news conference.

He said the fossil was older than the 3.2 million year old remains of "Lucy" discovered in 1974, and described by scientists as one of the world's greatest archaeological finds.

"The new bones belong to a three year old girl who lived 3.3 million years ago -- 150,000 years before Lucy," Zeresenay said.

"Evidence indicates that she probably died in a flood from the nearby Awash river," he added.

The fossil has been named "Selam," which means peace in Ethiopia's official Amharic language.

Zeresenay said she belonged to the Australopithecus afarnesis species, which includes Lucy, and is thought to be an ancestor to modern humans.

"We now have for the first time the hard evidence for a clear picture of what early child human ancestors looked like," he added.

Over the last 50 years, Ethiopia has been a hotbed for archaeological discoveries.

The discovery of Lucy -- an almost complete hominid skeleton -- was a landmark in the search for the origins of humanity.

While a hominid skull thought to be between 200,000-500,000 years old was found in January, in a discovery one scientist said could fill the gap in the search for the origins of the human race.

On the shores of what was formerly a lake in 1967, two Homo sapiens skulls dating back 195,000 years were unearthed. The find pushed back the known date of mankind, suggesting that modern man and his older precursor existed side by side.

[Galbally]

Yes I saw this story, what a fantastic discovery, I wonder if there are any other similar finds in the offing. So are you saying that you have been in the great rift valley? I would love to see it, very cool.

[Lulu2]

Yes, I've been there...to the very spot where they found "Lucy." And we were there in June, when it's relatively cooler--I can't even IMAGINE the hot season! It's interesting to see, because you can't relate the landscape as it is now to what it was then.

At Oldupai Gorge, there's a quaint little museum which has replicas of bones, photos of the Leakey staff and a reproduction of "Lucy's" bones and those famous footsteps they found, too.

Galbally...you should take a trip to Kenya/Tanzania and combine lots of wonderful things!

[K.Snyder]

That's absolutely insane....

How can they determine the exact time frame from which they lived?

Heres a link to the story:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060920/...opia_fossil_dc

[double helix]

Originally Posted by K.Snyder

That's absolutely insane....

How can they determine the exact time frame from which they lived?

Heres a link to the story:

It's called science. Carbon dating. Chemical analysis. Give me a stand of your hair I'll tell you when you last drank alcohol, did drugs, or smoked a ciggy.

[K.Snyder]

Originally Posted by double helix

It's called science. Carbon dating. Chemical analysis. Give me a stand of your hair I'll tell you when you last drank alcohol, did drugs, or smoked a ciggy.

Yeah but how can they determine the difference between 3.3 million years and 3.2 million years?....I'm not saying their wrong....It just seems to me like it would be almost impossible to determine a specific date for something that long ago.

[Lulu2]

It also has to with dating rocks, lava flows and other adjacent features.

[zinkyusa]

Originally Posted by K.Snyder

Yeah but how can they determine the difference between 3.3 million years and 3.2 million years?....I'm not saying their wrong....It just seems to me like it would be almost impossible to determine a specific date for something that long ago.

Your right it is difficult but researchers are getting better. You have to measure the age of the material surrounding the fossils or the bones, by measuing the remaining amounts of certain radioactive isotopes with long half lives (decay times). For bones < 50,000 year Carbon 14 decay is commonly used but for bones this old they would have to use something else.

Here is a link on using a particle accelerator to date aluminum and beryllium decay to date some other bones:

http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html4ever/...r.hominid.html

[Daniyal]

Originally Posted by Lulu2

+++++++++++++ If you've never been there, I'll say the Rift Valley is the hottest, dryest, most uncomfortable place you can imagine! This discovery is wonderful, of course, and even more so, if you think about the conditions the diggers were working in!



ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopian scientists unveiled on Wednesday a 3.3 million-year-old fossil of a girl, which they believe is the most complete skeleton ever found.

The fossil including an entire skull, torso, shoulder blade and various limbs was discovered at Dikaka, some 400 kms northeast of the capital Addis Ababa near the Awash river in the Rift Valley.

"The finding is the most complete hominid skeleton ever found in the world," Zeresenay Alemseged, head of the Paleoanthropological Research Team, told a news conference.

He said the fossil was older than the 3.2 million year old remains of "Lucy" discovered in 1974, and described by scientists as one of the world's greatest archaeological finds.

"The new bones belong to a three year old girl who lived 3.3 million years ago -- 150,000 years before Lucy," Zeresenay said.

"Evidence indicates that she probably died in a flood from the nearby Awash river," he added.

The fossil has been named "Selam," which means peace in Ethiopia's official Amharic language.

Zeresenay said she belonged to the Australopithecus afarnesis species, which includes Lucy, and is thought to be an ancestor to modern humans.

"We now have for the first time the hard evidence for a clear picture of what early child human ancestors looked like," he added.

Over the last 50 years, Ethiopia has been a hotbed for archaeological discoveries.

The discovery of Lucy -- an almost complete hominid skeleton -- was a landmark in the search for the origins of humanity.

While a hominid skull thought to be between 200,000-500,000 years old was found in January, in a discovery one scientist said could fill the gap in the search for the origins of the human race.

On the shores of what was formerly a lake in 1967, two Homo sapiens skulls dating back 195,000 years were unearthed. The find pushed back the known date of mankind, suggesting that modern man and his older precursor existed side by side.

Very good post , This also proves that the '' Nubian's were the first people on this planet. And the mother & father of everyone !

Originally Posted by Daniyal

Very good post , This also proves that the '' Nubian's were the first people on this planet. And the mother & father of everyone !

It only proves that scientists cant date anything, except possibly thier sisters...

But it sure doesnt in anyway prove there is even a nubian race.