2.6-Million-Year-Old Human Ancestor Unearthed in Ethiopia

A major discovery in Ethiopia is rewriting a chapter of human evolution. For the first time, scientists have found fossil remains of a 2.6-million-year-old hominin species in the country's Afar region. Hominins are the group of species that includes modern humans and our extinct ancestors. The groundbreaking find was made by a research team led by Dr. Zeresenay Alemseged from the University of Chicago. The fossils date to a critical period in prehistory. This era saw the emergence of the first stone tool use and major shifts in the human family tree. The exact species of the hominin is under analysis. However, its age makes it a direct ancestor or a close relative to the earliest members of the *Homo* genus, the lineage that led to modern humans. The Afar region is often called the "cradle of humankind." It has produced many of the world's most famous early human fossils. This new discovery adds another crucial piece to the puzzle of our origins.