Fossil Discovery Supports Second Human Ancestor Species

The discovery of skull fossils in Kenya support the existence of a human ancestor first suggested in the 1970s, shedding light on the origins of modern people, scientists said.

The unearthing of three remains with distinctive jaw-lines and teeth in the Koobi Fora region of northern Kenya points to a separate kind of early human, of the genus Homo, on Earth almost 2 million years ago, according to a paper published today by the journal Nature.