Mystery Foot Fossil Reveals Little-Known Species from Lucy’s Time

Scientists have identified the Burtele foot, bones dating back 3.4 million years, as belonging to Australopithecus deyiremeda. The fossils, discovered in Ethiopia in 2009, shed light on a little-known species that lived at the same time as Lucy. Australopithecus deyiremeda, a more primitive species than Lucy, was confirmed through a recent study published in Nature on November 26. The foot bones, along with a jawbone, suggest a unique species that coexisted with the famous Australopithecus afarensis skeleton, Lucy.