New fossil reveals face of 'Lucy' ancestor who lived almost 4 million years ago

[jpak]

https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/new-fossil-reveals-face-lucy-ancestor-who-lived-almost-4-ncna1047431

A fossil from Ethiopia is letting scientists look millions of years into our evolutionary history — and they see a face peering back.

The find, from 3.8 million years ago, reveals the face for a presumed ancestor of the species famously represented by Lucy, the celebrated Ethiopian partial skeleton found in 1974.

This ancestral species is the oldest known member of Australopithecus, a grouping of creatures that preceded our own branch of the family tree, called Homo.

Scientists have long known that this species — A. anamensis — existed, and previous fossils of it extend back to 4.2 million years ago. But the discovered facial remains were limited to jaws and teeth. The newly reported fossil includes much of the skull and face.

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Our ancestors were amazing - if they weren't, we would not be here....

[jimmil]

1. You said...

"Our ancestors were amazing - if they weren't, we would not be here.... " If you follow Lucy's branch of the evolutionary tree you would find it does not lead to modern humans. It was just another failed attempt by nature to push the tree of life.

[jpak]

2. Common ancestry - and descendants

On a bushy Family Tree

Which lead to us.

Yup

[Kurt V.]

3. the newest research says the branches of the *tree* crossed each other.

[tclambert]

7. Are you suggesting that our forebears fooled around?

Sounds about right. That idea pretty much invalidates every family tree.

[jb5150]

4. Australopithecus are not our ancestors ...

at best, they are distant cousins.

[jpak]

8. So, which fossil Hominin was?

Do tell.

[Spider Jerusalem]

9. Considering what we now know about interbreeding between H. sapiens and Neanderthals and Denisovans

it's highly likely that there was episodic interbreeding between reproductively compatible hominin species going very far back into our ancestry. (Neanderthals weren't thought to be our ancestors until the study of ancient DNA revealed otherwise.)

[pangaia]

5. How did Australopithecus folks cut their nails?

[UTUSN]

6. She's *CUTE*!1 - I'd buy her a beer, play some juke box, cut a rug!1

[lunatica]

10. She's a beauty!