Scientists rethink humans' family tree (LA Times)

Scientists rethink humans' family tree

A set of fossilized craniums found in the republic of Georgia indicates there were fewer species of human ancestors than thought, study says.

By Monte Morin
October 17, 2013

In the humid foothills of the Caucasus Mountains, deep within a carnivore's bloody lair, an early human ancestor fought a life-or-death struggle, and lost.

He had entered the den on a scavenging mission, possibly with several others. Their plan: Use a stone to scrape meat from the bones of freshly killed prey, then flee before a saber-tooth cat or other giant predator caught him in the act.

"It seems that they were fighting for the carcasses, and unfortunately ... they were not always successful," said David Lordkipanidze, a paleoanthropologist and director of the Georgian National Museum in Tbilisi.

Now, almost 2 million years later, the stunningly intact remains of that failed foraging mission are causing researchers to question the shape of our ancestral family tree.

http://www.latimes.com/science/la-sci-homo-erectus-20131018,0,7935539.story