Fossil Skeletons May Be Human Ancestor

A newfound ancient relative of humanity discovered in a cave in Africa is a strong candidate for the immediate ancestor to the human lineage, an international team of scientists said today.

The remarkably well-preserved skeletons - a juvenile male and an adult female that lived nearly 2 million years ago - were found near the surface in the remains of a deeply eroded limestone cave system.

Scientists don't know how they died, but it's possible they fell into the cave.

The hominids had longer arms than we do, and smaller brains. But their faces were human-like, and scientists say the discovery represents an important look into our pre-human past. Researchers stopped short of calling the new species, dubbed Australopithecus sediba, a missing link.
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