July
13
/ 2018
In 2015, scientists announced an earlier time frame than previously estimated for the lifetime of an early proto-human dubbed Little Foot – as much as 3.67 million years ago. The nearly complete fossilized skeleton of the small Australopithecus creature was found in Sterkfontein Cave in South Africa in the 1990s. Age estimates of the fossil have varied greatly over the years, but new dating methods have allowed a more precise estimate. The accuracy of methods used to date the fossils and stone tools found in Sterkfontein Cave previously have been called into question. Live Science, quoting one of the researchers, said Australopithecines, including the famous Lucy of 3.2 million years ago, are thought to be the direct ancestors of Homo
