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New Fossils (9): Orrorin tugenensisIn 2000, some teeth, pieces of jaw and a fossil femur were unearthed at Kapsomin, Kenya, by an expedition led by Brigette Senut and Martin Pickford. The relationship of these fossils to other potential human ancestors is unclear, but its age is certain: 6 million years. The molars, like ours, are small and have thick enamel (those of Australopithecus are large with thin enamel), and some features of the femur (positions of muscle attachment) suggest it may have been bipedal. The fossil has been named Orrorin tugenensis; there is much debate and speculation over its place in the human family tree but, given its age, it remains an important find [Balter 2001] ; [Aiello & Collard, 2001] . |