found in greater proportions in flat bones

afarensis that may be answered with future discoveries : We don’t know everything about our early ancestors-but we keep learning more! Paleoanthropologists are constantly in the field, excavating new areas, using groundbreaking technology, and continually filling in some of the gaps about our understanding of human evolution.īelow are some of the still unanswered questions about Au. Their adaptations for living both in the trees and on the ground helped them survive for almost a million years as climate and environments changed. They also had small canine teeth like all other early humans, and a body that stood on two legs and regularly walked upright. afarensis had both ape and human characteristics: members of this species had apelike face proportions (a flat nose, a strongly projecting lower jaw) and braincase (with a small brain, usually less than 500 cubic centimeters - about 1/3 the size of a modern human brain), and long, strong arms with curved fingers adapted for climbing trees. afarensis had a shorter period of growing up than modern humans have today, leaving them less time for parental guidance and socialization during childhood.Īu. afarensis children grew rapidly after birth and reached adulthood earlier than modern humans. It is best known from the sites of Hadar, Ethiopia (‘Lucy’, AL 288-1 and the 'First Family', AL 333) Dikika, Ethiopia (Dikika ‘child’ skeleton) and Laetoli (fossils of this species plus the oldest documented bipedal footprint trails). Science, Religion, Evolution and Creationism: PrimerĪustralopithecus afarensis is one of the longest-lived and best-known early human species-paleoanthropologists have uncovered remains from more than 300 individuals! Found between 3.85 and 2.95 million years ago in Eastern Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania), this species survived for more than 900,000 years, which is over four times as long as our own species has been around.Members Thoughts on Science, Religion & Human Origins (video).Teaching Evolution through Human Examples.

Digital Archive of Ungulate and Carnivore Dentition.Adventures in the Rift Valley: Interactive.Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History The Smithsonian Institution's Human Origins Program Main Menu

Found in greater proportions in flat bones