This species has a flat face and small molars, considered derived features in Homo, but it also has a small brain size and a long upper face, which are primitive features shared with Australopithecus. In contrast, others have argued that it represents a transitional form between Australopithecus and Homo or even a separate genus altogether.Īnother contender for the first “Homo” is Kenyanthropus platyops, a species known from a single skull (KNM-WT 40000) and some fragments found in Kenya and dated to about 3.5 million years ago. Some researchers have suggested that this jawbone belongs to an early form of Homo habilis, the earliest widely accepted Homo species. This specimen has some features that are similar to later Homo species, such as smaller molars and a more symmetrical shape, but it also retains some primitive traits, such as a large canine tooth and a thin enamel. One of the oldest fossils that has been assigned to the genus Homo is a lower jawbone (LD 350-1) found in Ethiopia and dated to about 2.8 million years ago. Therefore, identifying the first “Homo” is not straightforward, as different criteria may lead to different conclusions. However, these features did not appear all at once or in a single species, but rather evolved gradually and variably in different populations over time. ![]() The first “Homo” is usually defined as a hominin (a member of the human lineage after it split from the chimpanzee lineage) that has a larger brain size, a more rounded skull, a flatter face, smaller teeth and jaws, and a more advanced stone tool technology than earlier hominins. (Photo by: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) The Kenyanthropus platyops, a 3.5 to 3.2-million-year-old (Pliocene) hominin fossil discovered in Lake Turkana, Kenya. In this blog post, I will review some of the main hypotheses and arguments based on current knowledge. The origin of the genus Homo is one of the most debated topics in human evolution, as different lines of evidence may suggest different scenarios. These are some of the intriguing questions that paleoanthropologists are trying to answer by studying the fossil and archaeological evidence of our early ancestors and relatives. ![]() Who was the first “Homo”? Was it Kenyanthropus platyops? Was it the maker of the Lomekwian tools? Is it the ancestor of the 1470 fossil? They seem to share many features, so is it possible that this fossil belongs to that species? What others species are potential contenders? Why? Why not?
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