Fossil Teeth From Ethiopia Support Early, African Origin for Apes

摘要

Fossils of a new species of large-bodied ape are giving a rare glimpse of the origins of the African apes. This week in Nature, a team of Ethiopian and Japanese researchers reports the discovery of nine teeth that resemble those of modern gorillas—But that belonged to an ape that lived about 10 million years ago in the Afar Rift of Ethiopia. The team suggests that the newly discovered ape, called Chororapithecus abyssinicus, might have been a primitive gorilla or a close relative. If so, it pushes back the origin of gorillas from about 8 million years ago to more than 10.5 million years ago, says paleoanthropologist Gen Suwa of The University Museum of the University of Tokyo.