Article: This girl walked the earth 3million years ago; With a chimp's hands, the body of a human and gorilla shoulders.

Byline: FIONA MACRAE

By Fiona MacRae Science Reporter

THE skeleton of the world's oldest child has been found by scientists.

The three-year-old girl lived more than three million years ago and the discovery, in an African desert, could shed new light on man's descent from the great apes.

It is thought the girl was probably killed in a flood. She had a humanlike lower body, a gorilla's shoulders and the hands of a chimp.

Researcher Professor Fred Spoor, of University College London, hailed the discovery as a 'once-in-a-lifetime find'.

His colleague Dr Charles Lockwood said: 'It's impossible to overstate the importance of this specimen.

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