Cradle of Humankind
25°58′02″S 27°39′45″E / 25.96716°S 27.66245°E
The Cradle of Humankind is a World Heritage Site, named by UNESCO in 1999. The site is about 50 kilometres northwest of Johannesburg, South Africa in the Gauteng province. It occupies 47,000 hectares (180 sq mi).[1]
Fossils
[change | change source]The site is called the Cradle of Humankind because it has produced a large number of hominid fossils, including some of the oldest. Some date back as far as 3.5 million years ago.[2]
These fossils were found in the site's limestone caves, including the Sterkfontein Caves. Of all the early hominid fossils ever found, more than a third were found in Sterkfontein.[3]
In 1947 Robert Broom and John T. Robinson discovered a 2.3-million-year-old fossil of Australopithecus africanus (which they nicknamed 'Mrs. Ples'). Previously, in 1924, Raymond Dart discovered a juvenile A. africanus skull at Taung in the North West Province of South Africa. (The fossil was nicknamed the 'Taung Child'). Excavations still continue at this site.
Recent work
[change | change source]Australopithecus sediba
[change | change source]In 2008 near Johannesburg, archaologists found the remains of several partial skeletons of a previously unknown australopithecine species, A. sediba.[4] The remains have been dated to about two million years ago (mya). Based on a recent re-examination of two partial A. sediba skeletons, this species is close to the origin of the genus Homo.[5] Not all palaeoanthropologists agree that it is a new species.[6]
A new analysis shows this species had a human-like pelvis, hands and teeth, and a chimpanzee-like foot. In six separate research reports, palaeontologists reported on the anatomy of a juvenile male skeleton, MH1; a female skeleton, known as MH2; and an isolated adult tibia (shinbone), known as MH4. The findings suggest that some species of australopithecine climbed trees, some walked on the ground, and some did both:[7]
Its small heel resembles that of a chimpanzee more than it does a human. This suggests it likely walked with an inward rotation of the knee and hip, with its feet slightly twisted. This primitive way of walking might have been a compromise between upright walking and tree climbing, the researchers suggest, since A. sediba seems to have had more adaptations for tree-climbing than other australopithecines.[7]
Scientists in England investigated the skeletons' teeth. Like other parts of the skeletons, the teeth are a mosaic of primitive and human-like features.[8]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ About Maropeng Archived 2013-04-23 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Fleminger, David (2008). The Cradle of Humankind. 30° South Publishers. pp. 7–10. ISBN 978-0958489133.
- ↑ Smith, David (15 January 2010). "Visit to the Cradle of Humankind". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2010-05-20.
- ↑ Berger L.R. et al 2010. Australopithecus sediba: a new species of Homo-like australopith from South Africa. Science 328 (5975): 195–204.
- ↑ Amos, Jonathan 2011. African fossils put new spin on human origins story. BBC News
- ↑ Cherry, Michael 2010. Claim over 'human ancestor' sparks furore: researchers dispute that hominin fossil is a new species. Nature News.
- 1 2 Team reconstructs 'human ancestor'. BBC News Science & Environment.
- ↑ Kivell T.L. et al 2011. Australopithecus sediba hand demonstrates mosaic evolution of locomotor and manipulative abilities. Science 333 (6048): 1411–1417.