‘Lucy’ Was Neighbors With an Even Older Human Ancestor, Fossils Reveal

A jumble of bones and teeth confirms two species of human ancestor lived side by side over 3.3 million years ago in Ethiopia’s Afar Rift. This is the first clear evidence that these ancient relatives may have overlapped not just in time but also coexisted as neighbors, explains Arizona State University paleoanthropologist Yohannes Haile-Selassie, with remains of each species having been found within 5 kilometers (3 miles) of each other. Haile-Selassie and team determined the foot bones discovered in 2009 likely belong to a species older than the famous hominin ‘Lucy’ (Australopithecus afarensis). They identified it as Australopithecus deyiremeda, previously only known from partial jawbones. The 3.4-million-year-old foot reveals a different type of locomotion than A. afarensis, suggesting that while they coexisted, the two species may have had very different lifestyles.