South African scientists have found a new unique fossil during an expedition to the Sterkfontein Caves. Employees of the University of the Witwatersrand, which is located near Johannesburg, emphasize that the discovered tooth and finger bone could belong to a previously unknown ancestor of modern humans.
Experts have suggested that in the part of the Sterkfontein caves where the fossil was found, representatives of the hominid family could have lived, who began to use some primitive types of stone tools. The finger and molar were sent to the laboratory for examination, however, according to the preliminary version, their age is at least 2 million years.
Dominic Stratford, head of the Department of Archeology and Environmental Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand, noted that the fossils resemble Homo habilis (Homo habilis), but they have a number of differences. In particular, the tooth of the unknown specimen is much larger, and its finger is more curved. According to the professor, South Africa is rich in Plio-Pleistocene fossils, but the one found on February 11 only raised a lot of questions from archaeologists, according to Times Live.
Elena Razumovskaya