New Homind Fossil

Another part of the jigsaw that is the Hominid fossil record may have been completed with the finding of an apparently new fossil hominid in South Africa.

The new hominid has been dubbed Australopithecus sediba and it is reported to have both human and ape traits. The estimated age for the new hominid is between 1.78 to 1.95 million years ago when australopithecines and early species of Homo seem to have been contemporaries.

The exact significance of the new fossils ( a boy and a woman) may not be clear for some time as is often the case with new finds but the fossils appear to be causing considerable interest and speculation.

Further reports are available at National Geographic and The New York Times