Ancient ape 'not related to man'
Friday, 08 Dec 2006 10:51
Little Foot: Not one of us
An ancient ape long thought to have been a distant relative of the human race was today claimed to have never been part of mankind's evolutionary tree.
British researchers believe that the fossilised remains of the prehistoric ape – known as Little Foot – actually date to 2.2 million years ago (MYA), as opposed to the initial estimates of three to four MYA.
The remains of Australopithecus genus were discovered almost ten years ago in a cave complex at Sterkfontein, South Africa.
Although they admit that their conclusion is "controversial", the scientists say that the existing consensus that the ape was part of an ancestral line that led directly to man is false.
The researchers from the University of Leeds and Liverpool University arrived at their findings after using uranium lead chronology techniques to date the stalagmite deposits above and below the fossilised remains.
The bones of Little Foot were discovered in sediment layers and are the most complete fossilised hominid skeleton ever found.
Today's study authors, publishing their results in the US journal Science, say that a much more likely scenario was that Australopiths were a "distant cousin" of man.
But report co-author Dr Jo Walker of Leeds University's school of earth and environment today insisted that the remains of Little Foot are still important to the scientific community.
"In many of these finds, the smallest bones have disintegrated, but here the feet and hands are well preserved - and these could enable researchers to show how well adapted this early primate was to walking on two feet," she said.
Australopithecus was 130cm tall and had a brain comparable to a modern chimpanzee.