Is the man from Toumai really our oldest ancestor? New analyses cast doubt

Decryption – This 7-million-year-old fossil has been the subject of controversy since its discovery in 2001. In particular, questions surrounding its bipedal movement.

Toumai Man was discovered in Chad in the Sahel region in 2001.Sahelanthropus tchadensis) It lived about 7 million years ago. Although it is often considered our oldest known ancestor, controversy rages. Scientists have struggled for more than twenty years through publications to determine whether it was bipedal or not.

Which is key to whether or not we put it on our family tree. In 2022, a study published in Nature hopes to end the debate. But the new work published in the journal Journal of Human Evolution, Come today to answer it. According to the authors, the currently available data simply do not allow us to conclude that SahelanthropusIf Toumai could be a representative of an ancestral group of humans, he could easily be an ancestor of chimpanzees and (or) gorillas.

One of the main difficulties in this subject is…

This article is for subscribers. You have 86% left to discover.

Want to read more?

Unlock all items instantly.

Already subscribed? Log in

See also  Live - After his return, Thomas Pesquet holds a press conference

Stan Shaw

<p class="sign">"Professional food nerd. Internet scholar. Typical bacon buff. Passionate creator."</p>

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top