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Was Australopithecus sediba Our Ancestor?

Researchers don't agree on whether Australopithecus sediba was a human ancestor.

Dead Things iconDead Things
By Gemma Tarlach
May 8, 2019 10:00 PMMar 21, 2020 12:54 AM
Human, Australopithecus sediba, Chip - University of the Witwatersrand
Australopithecus sediba (center) has a unique mix of anatomical traits that has led to debate over its proper place in the hominin family tree. For comparison: a small-bodied female modern human (left), and a male chimp (right). (Credit: Lee R. Berger/University of the Witwatersrand)

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Remember Australopithecus sediba? The convention-challenging South African hominin, announced with much fanfare in 2010, has gotten lost in a torrent of other recent fossil finds from our family tree. A new study adds insult to injury, stacking the odds against A. sediba's place in our distant evolutionary past.

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