Human Origins

A fossil from Egypt hints we may have been looking in the wrong place for ape origins. A fossil ape discovered in northern Egypt is reshaping the story of human evolution. The species, Masripithecus, lived about 17 to 18 million years ago and may sit very close to the ancestor of all modern apes. This finding challenges the long-standing focus on East Africa. Instead, it points to northern Africa and nearby regions as a possible birthplace of apes. Researchers report in a news study published in Science , that a newly uncovered fossil ape from northern Egypt is changing how scientists view early hominoid evolution. The discovery suggests that the closest ancestors of modern apes may have originated in northern