Mystery Foot Belongs to Ancient Human Relative: Scientists

Newly discovered fossils confirm that the enigmatic foot unearthed in Ethiopia belongs to an obscure ancient human relative recently identified. This individual lived alongside Lucy, a well-known species, according to scientists who made the revelation on Wednesday. The finding challenges the notion that Lucy’s species, Australopithecus afarensis, is the direct ancestor of Homo sapiens. The Burtele foot, discovered in 2009, shows characteristics indicating it does not belong to Lucy’s species, as it possesses an opposable toe allowing grasping similar to apes. In 2015, the team named a new species, Australopithecus deyiremeda, based on 3.4-million-year-old jaw bones found in Burtele.