A new hominid from the Upper Miocene of Chad, Central Africa

Michel Brunet (), Franck Guy, David Pilbeam, Hassane Taisso Mackaye, Andossa Likius, Djimdoumalbaye Ahounta, Alain Beauvilain, Cécile Blondel, Hervé Bocherens, Jean-Renaud Boisserie, Louis De Bonis, Yves Coppens, Jean Dejax, Christiane Denys, Philippe Duringer, Véra Eisenmann, Gongdibé Fanone, Pierre Fronty, Denis Geraads, Thomas Lehmann, Fabrice Lihoreau, Antoine Louchart, Adoum Mahamat, Gildas Merceron, Guy Mouchelin, Olga Otero, Pablo Pelaez Campomanes, Marcia Ponce De Leon, Jean-Claude Rage, Michel Sapanet, Mathieu Schuster, Jean Sudre, Pascal Tassy, Xavier Valentin, Patrick Vignaud, Laurent Viriot, Antoine Zazzo and Christoph Zollikofer
Additional contact information
Michel Brunet: Université de Poitiers
Franck Guy: Université de Poitiers
David Pilbeam: Harvard University
Hassane Taisso Mackaye: Université de N'Djaména
Andossa Likius: Université de Poitiers
Djimdoumalbaye Ahounta: Centre National d'Appui à la Recherche
Alain Beauvilain: Centre National d'Appui à la Recherche
Cécile Blondel: Université de Poitiers
Hervé Bocherens: CNRS UMR 5554, Université de Montpellier II
Jean-Renaud Boisserie: Université de Poitiers
Louis De Bonis: Université de Poitiers
Yves Coppens: Collège de France
Jean Dejax: Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle et CNRS UMR 8569
Christiane Denys: Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle et CNRS UMR 8569
Philippe Duringer: CNRS UMR 7517, Université Louis Pasteur
Véra Eisenmann: Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle et CNRS UMR 8569
Gongdibé Fanone: Centre National d'Appui à la Recherche
Pierre Fronty: Université de Poitiers
Denis Geraads: Centre National de Recherche Scientifique UPR 2147
Thomas Lehmann: Université de Poitiers
Fabrice Lihoreau: Université de Poitiers
Antoine Louchart: CNRS UMR 5125, Université Claude Bernard
Adoum Mahamat: Centre National d'Appui à la Recherche
Gildas Merceron: Université de Poitiers
Guy Mouchelin: Université de Poitiers
Olga Otero: Université de Poitiers
Pablo Pelaez Campomanes: Museo de Ciencias Naturales
Marcia Ponce De Leon: Universität Zürich-Irchel
Jean-Claude Rage: Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle et CNRS UMR 8569
Michel Sapanet: Université de Poitiers
Mathieu Schuster: CNRS UMR 7517, Université Louis Pasteur
Jean Sudre: CNRS UMR 5554, Université de Montpellier II
Pascal Tassy: Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle et CNRS UMR 8569
Xavier Valentin: Université de Poitiers
Patrick Vignaud: Université de Poitiers
Laurent Viriot: Université de Poitiers
Antoine Zazzo: et Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Université Pierre et Marie Curie
Christoph Zollikofer: Universität Zürich-Irchel

Nature, 2002, vol. 418, issue 6894, 145-151

Abstract: Abstract The search for the earliest fossil evidence of the human lineage has been concentrated in East Africa. Here we report the discovery of six hominid specimens from Chad, central Africa, 2,500 km from the East African Rift Valley. The fossils include a nearly complete cranium and fragmentary lower jaws. The associated fauna suggest the fossils are between 6 and 7 million years old. The fossils display a unique mosaic of primitive and derived characters, and constitute a new genus and species of hominid. The distance from the Rift Valley, and the great antiquity of the fossils, suggest that the earliest members of the hominid clade were more widely distributed than has been thought, and that the divergence between the human and chimpanzee lineages was earlier than indicated by most molecular studies.

Date: 2002
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DOI: 10.1038/nature00879

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