Caden Arnold Reflection 2 10/16/2013 New fossils put face on mysterious human ancestor

The article New fossils put face on mysterious human ancestor says that after 40 years of research they can put a new face on a mysterious human ancestor whose skull was found 40 years ago in Kenya. (Gibbons, 2012). The article said that the find gave scientists a better look at the species that was alive soon after our genus, homo, arrived 2 million years ago. It also shows that there were several different species of homo present 1.78 to 2.03 million years ago in the Rift Valley of Africa, and that they probably had to adapt in different ways to co-exist. (Gibbons, 2012. New fossils..) The article mentioned that paleoanthropologist Meave Leaky got a first look at the skull of the new kind of human ancestor in 1972 at Koobi Fora. Koobi Fora, is a region of paleoanthropological sites in northern Kenya near Lake Turkana. The Koobi Fora geologic formation consists of lake and river sediments from the eastern shore of Lake Turkana. (McHenry IV, Koobi Fora). Different species of human ancestors have been found here since the 1960s. (Gibbons, 2012, New fossils). The 2 million year old skull had a big brain that made it a member of our genus. (Gibbons, 2012). The article described that because of the skulls flat face and other features distinguish it from the other two members of early ancestors known at that time, many researchers thought of it as Homo Rudolfensis. The only good fossil of the H. Rudolfensis is KNM-ER 1470. (Humanorigins.com). Some questioned if it was a new species or just an unusual member of Homo Habilis, which lived 2.3 to 1.4 million years ago in East Africa. (Gibbons, 2012).

Fossil hunters found well preserved fossilized bones of the mid- face and teeth of a juvenile protruding out of a rock in 2008. (Gibbons, 2012). The article said that the face looked like a pocket version of the known KNM-ER 1470. Its small size ruled out that the older view that H. Rudolfensis skulls were invariably larger than those of H. Habilis or that the larger specimens were male and the smaller ones were female. (Gibbons, 2012). They discovered the complete lower jaw in 2009. That gave the team of researchers an even better look at this species. They didnt find a jaw for 1470. (Gibbons, 2012). The jaw and the new fave showed that H. Rudolfensis had a U- shaped palate, with the canines facing the front of the jaw rather than on the sides. This suggested a significant developmental difference between the two species. (Gibbons,2012). The new fossils were found on the Kamari Ridge of Koobi Fora within 10 kilometers of the fossil beds where the 1470 skull was found. (Gibbons, 2012). Before reading the article I never knew about these fossil beds or the fossils themselves. I found it very interesting that researchers are finding all these different fossils of human ancestors in relatively the same area.

References.

Gibbons, Ann, 2012. New fossils put face on mysterious human ancestor. Sciencemag.org.

McHenry, Henry IV. Koobi Fora. Britannica.com

Humanorigins.si.edu