Hominid Fossils Unearthed in S. Africa

J O H A N N E S B U R G, South Africa, April 26 -- South African scientists today revealed details about a pair of fossils, including the most complete ape-man skull ever excavated, which they hopewill shed light on our distant origins.

The pair, christened Orpheus and Eurydice after the Greekmythological lovers, are 1.5 to 2 million years old and havebeen identified as Paranthropus robustus, a hominid line thatbecame extinct about one million years ago.

“They are not direct ancestors of modern humans but aremore like ‘kissing cousins’ of our ancestors,” Lee Berger toldReuters after a news conference, where the pair — discovered in1994 but revealed only now — were put on public display for thefirst time.

Near the Famous Sterkfontein Caves

Scientists say the skull belongs to a female of the specieswhile the other fossil, a lower jawbone or mandible, belongs toa male.

The fossils were unearthed four miles from the renowned Sterkfontein caves north of Johannesburg,which have yielded many hominid finds, including the recentdiscovery of a complete 3.3 million-year-old arm and head.

Describing the day he and his team made the discovery,palaeontologist Andre Keyser said: “I knew immediately what Iwas dealing with and was extremely excited and absolutelydelighted to have found it. It was certainly the highlight of mycareer as a palaeontologist.”

Scientists say the significance of the find includes thefact that they now know what a female Paranthropus robustuslooks like and know the difference between the male and femaleof the species.

They also hope its differences and similarities fromhumanity’s ancestors, and the reasons for its extinction, mayprovide clues to humanity’s own march up the evolutionaryladder.

The reasons for hominid extinctions are a matter of debatein the scientific community.

Some speculate that modern man at a very early stage mayhave shown his dark side by eliminating potential rivals.