Since 2005, a team led by Dr. Yohannes Haile-Selassie has been conducting interesting research at an archaeological site located in Ethiopia. In that region, traces were found of what is now confirmed as a legitimate example of the Australopithecus afarensis. In fact, this ancient ancestor of ours is already well known to scientists, since Lucy's skeleton – found in American soil – was announced in 1974.
At first, this fossil did not have a great impact on studies related to the evolution of the human species on earth. After all, the Ethiopian specimen would be a contemporary of Lucy, able to offer additional information about a species already known to scientists around the world. However, research aimed at dating the bones eventually found that Kadanuumuu (the name given to the Ethiopian fossil) was four hundred thousand years older than Lucy.
Being 1.6 meters tall and male, Lucy's distant relative proved that the Australopithecus afarensis was on Earth long before scientists thought primarily. Performing a more detailed research on the bones of Kadanuumuu, it was possible to notice that he was a very skilled biped, walking very close to ours. Thus, our evolutionary history has been dated completely different from the one previously used.
The use of new technologies allows the discovery of other regions rich in fossils. Over time, the mysteries and questions surrounding the lives of our ancestors are resolved with this unprecedented information.
By Rainer Sousa
Master in History
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/historiag/kadanuumuu-antepassado-lucy.htm
