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Article: Fossil finds enter row over humanity's roots. (Pieces of a Disputed Past).(Homo habilis upper jaw, eastern Africa; Homo erectus cranium, Java )
- Article from:
- Science News
- Article date:
- March 1, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Science Service, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Two scientific teams have presented fossil discoveries with controversial evolutionary implications for two ancient species traditionally regarded as direct ancestors of Homo sapiens.
A 1.8-million-year-old upper jaw discovered in eastern Africa solidifies the position of Homo habilis as the oldest known member of the Homo genus, say anthropologist Robert J. Blumenschine of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J., and his colleagues. Reported in the Feb. 21 Science, their analysis also challenges the widespread view that another species, Homo rudolfensis, lived in eastern Africa at the same time as H. habilis.
In the Feb. 28 Science, anthropologist ...