When this small, small-headed human was discovered, it proved that our early human relatives habitually walked on two legs.
Its story began forming in Ethiopia in late November 1974, when the skeleton of a small female named Lucy was discovered.
More than 40 years later, Australopithecus alpha is one of the most representative species in the human fossil record.
Alpha Australopithecus
- Life: 3.7 million to 3 million years ago
- Location: East Africa
- Appearance: prominent face, upright posture, hybrid features of apes and humans
- Brain volume: Approximately 385-550 cm3
- Height: About 1-1.7m (women are much shorter than men)
- Weight: about 25-64 kg (women are significantly smaller than men)
- Diet: Plants, including grass, fruits and leaves
- Species named: 1978, four years after Lucy's discovery
- Meaning of the name: "Australopithecus from afar" (Afar is a region of Ethiopia)
Alpha Australopithecus
Belonging to the australopithecus genus, a small, small-brained early human species (human relatives) who were able to walk upright but were not well adapted to traveling long distances on the ground.
Species in the Australopithecus family — including the African Sedibal — probably produced two recent human groups, people and bystanders, 2.5 million years ago. Not the first member of the group to be discovered — Africans
From South Africa – but its discovery confirms that our ancient relatives habitually walked upright, and that this trait of human ancestry occurred long before the larger brain evolved.
Discoveries in the 1970s confirmed that our ancient relatives were bipeds — walking upright on two legs — before the brain evolved. This is another human species living in East Africa at the same time.
The ability to walk upright may bring survival benefits, such as the ability to detect dangerous predators earlier. Perhaps crucially, it frees up hands for other tasks, such as carrying food and using tools.
Alpha Australopithecus
According to fossils found so far, they lived between 3.7 and 3 million years ago. This means that the species has survived for at least 700,000 years, more than twice as long as our own species.
Australopithecus australis
It is one of the earliest fossils of ancient humans to become a household name. Her skeleton was about 40 percent complete —the most complete early human known to date at the time of her discovery.
On November 24, 1974, paleoanthropologists were in the valley when they found a fragment of an arm bone protruding from a slope.
Experts later recalled that when he realized that his pulse was not that of a monkey but of a human, his pulse sped up. As his team found more and more fragments, they began to realize that they were discovering an extraordinary skeleton. The full excavation took three weeks.
The skeleton consists of 47 of the 207 bones, including parts of the arms, legs, spine, ribs, and pelvis, as well as the jaw and several other skull fragments. However, most of the bones of the hands and feet are gone.
Part of the skeleton of the female of australopithecus arfa was found. The fossil is slightly younger than 3.18 million years old.
None of these bones are repetitive, which supports the conclusion that they came from one person.
The shape of the pelvic bone indicates that the person is female.
He is only 1.05 meters tall and weighs about 28 kilograms. The fact that a grown wisdom tooth and certain bones fused suggests that Lucy is a young adult.
Reconstructed skull, based on mandible and several other skull fragments. A grown wisdom tooth provides evidence that Lucy was a young adult at the time of her death.
The official signature AL 288-1 is rarely used outside of academic journals. The skeleton is slightly less than 3.18 million years old.
Her small skull, long arms, and conical chest resemble that of an ape, but her spine, pelvis, and knees are more human-like because she walks upright.
Experts believe that it is either a small member of the genus Man or a small Australopithecus australopithecus. Only after analyzing other fossils subsequently found nearby was a new species, arfa australopithecus, established four years after its discovery.
At the time, it was the oldest known human species, although more ancient species were later discovered.
How did he die?
The researchers studied bone injuries to see if they provided insight into how she died and published their findings in 2016.
CT scans showed fractures of her shoulder and arm, similar to those observed by people who fell from height, as if she had reached out to stop her from falling. They also note that many fractures occur after death, before and after death, rather than over time, as the bones become fossilized.
The researchers believe that the damage observed is very serious, and the internal organs may also be damaged. Based on their evidence, the team believes Lucy fell from a tree.
This conclusion is controversial, and many scientists, including those, say there are other plausible explanations for these breakages, such as animals that were trampled after death.
Other Australopithecus albata fossils come face-to-face with the skull of another early human.
Alpha Australopithecus
Has the characteristics of apes and human humans. The top of its skull (skull vault) is slightly dome-shaped, and its brain is the size of a chimpanzee. Its face protrudes outwards, and there are fewer women than men. Skull specimens show that the species has a strong chewing ability.
The skull shows that the species has a chimpanzee-sized brain, a prominent face of this replica and strong jaw muscles used to chew hard or tough plant material.
The small skull, long arms and conical chest cavity resemble apes, while the spine, pelvis and knees resemble more humans.
It weighs around 25 kg and the maximum weighs around 64 kg.
This is a broad range that points to a high degree of gender dichotomy – differences in size and shape between men and women. Modern humans have a low sexual dimorphism, with the two sexes looking very similar, while gorillas have very strong sexual dimorphism. Males and females are similar to the latter.
A model of the male Australopithecus alpha species, showing ape-like long arms and more human-like feet and upright postures
It is often depicted with body hair, as it most likely disappeared late in human evolution.
Australopithecus
Has many unique tooth features.
In some members of the species, the tooth arrangement diverges slightly backwards, forming a tooth arcade (the part of the mouth where the teeth are located), which is neither parallel nor rounded as in humans as modern apes.
Australopithecus jaw replica.
Canine teeth are much smaller than chimpanzees, and they are narrower and of different shapes than in the early days. The Annan-Canine Anterior Molar Grinding Complex has completely disappeared– a feature found in chimpanzees and other apes outside the Human lineage, with large, prominent upper canine teeth and lower thirds of the anterior molars. All known modern apes and fossil apes have this honing complex. Its absence, along with the presence of bipedal walking, is thought to be characteristic of species on the human lineage.
The oldest 3.5 million-year-old human fossil belonging to australopithecus.
Alpha Australopithecus
Being able to walk upright on two legs, skeletal features suggest it often does this. It may not walk exactly the same way as we do, or it may not be able to walk long distances effectively.
Anatomical features associated with upright walking are present in the spine, pelvis, legs, and feet. These include a broad pelvis and femur, with the femur tilted inward towards the knee, so the center of gravity is directly above the foot.
Reconstructed pelvis. The wide pelvis is an adaptation to upright walking.
Species also retain some of the ability to adapt to climbing and hanging from trees. These features may be seen on the shoulders, arms, wrists, and hands.
The species, especially the smaller females, are likely to spend a lot of time walking around the trees. Larger males may be less arboreal.
May have foraged in the canopy and on the ground, and may retreat to the trees at night to avoid predators and get a good night's sleep. Chimpanzees and other apes are known to build nesting platforms in the canopy.
To be on the safe side, Australopithecus alpha may sleep in trees, and like chimpanzees and orangutans, they build nesting platforms
The site preserves the oldest known human footprint. Nearly 3.7 million years ago, a volcanic eruption covered the landscape with a fine layer of ash. The rain formed a surface like wet cement, on which various animals wandered before it hardened. Further volcanic eruptions covered the footprints they left behind, preserving them for future generations.
More than 20 species have left footprints, including rhinos, giraffes and baboons.
In 1978, two years after the first animal footprints were discovered, paleoanthropologists excavated a 27-meter-long trail left by humans, consisting of about 70 footprints. Until today the most likely candidate, because only this species was discovered.
Some of the preserved footprints are replicas, which are thought to have been made by the Australopithecus arfa. The trajectory showed two people walking side by side, with a third person following behind. Their toes and walk are more like humans than apes.
Depending on the proximity of the footprints, the human legs that make them are short. These fingerprints are similar to those of modern humans, with a bow of the foot and a large toe aligned with other toes. Their footsteps are also similar to those of modern people, with the heels landing on the ground first, and the center of gravity shifts to the soles of the feet before the toes push the feet off the ground. Biomechanical analysis suggests that the bipedal gait is not exactly modern, and the legs may bend slightly at the knees when the feet touch the ground.
The impression left in the ashes suggests that a small group of people — feet of varying sizes — are moving from south to north. At least one smaller individual walked behind and stepped on the footprints of a larger individual.
Nearly forty years later, another set of footprints was found 150 meters from the original trail. These were made by two people, one of whom was taller and heavier, in the same direction as the original group. Maybe it's a single social group that walks on two paths, maybe it's a big man walking with women and children.
A second set of footprints was discovered in 2015, also nearly 3.7 million years old. It is difficult to find the footprints of ancient humans, to whom both humans and our ancestors and close relatives belonged. Footprints are the only footprints attributed to non-human species.
Alpha Australopithecus
Various evidence suggests that the diet differs slightly from that of early humans.
Carbon isotope values in tooth enamel indicate . Alpha is currently the earliest human species, and there is evidence that its diet is more diverse, including savannah-based foods such as sedges or grasses, as well as a more traditional diet based on fruits and trees and shrub leaves.
Some anatomical changes compared to earlier species, diets change over time, foods that become harder or harder, adapt to heavy chewing.
Illustration of the extinct paleo-human Australopithecus arhaphalus species. This species walks upright,
Since we have been observed to have our living relatives, chimpanzees, as well as other apes and monkeys, making and using simple tools, it is likely that all humans have used tools to some degree.
There are currently no alpha species directly related to tools, and the hands of Australopithecus species are well suited for controlling the manipulation of objects, and they may indeed use tools.
The oldest known stone tool is about 3.3 million years old and was unearthed in Kenya. The tools are made of volcanic rock and made into cores, flakes, and potential anvils. Around this time it was known from Kenya that the most likely candidate for a toolmaker was another species called another species, as specimens of this terran were found near the tool excavation site.
A small number of animal bones found reportedly showed cutting marks caused by stone tools. They date back about 3.4 million years, and the team blamed the slaughterhouse on Au. afarensis, as this is the only species currently known to live in the area. However, the conclusion is controversial. If they stand up to scrutiny, this would be the earliest evidence of human carnivorous behavior.
significant
Some other significant gold. In addition to footprints,
The first human fossil was discovered in 1973. The anatomy of the knee joint suggests that it belonged to a species that walked on two legs, and at the time, it was the oldest evidence of bipeds. The archaeological team returned to the area, where they found it the following year.
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mandible
This jawbone, which contains nine teeth, was discovered in 1974. It is designated as a type specimen. , making it an official representative of the species as well as other potential specimens. Fossils need to be compared.
Specimen Jawbone, officially representing the species.
In 1975, more than 200 ancient human fossils were unearthed from Foreign Hadar. They represent at least 13 people, including four children. Scientists think they may be related. Concepts supported by specimens. Has significant sexual dimorphism. Apart from their body size, the anatomical features of the group were nearly identical, suggesting that they were all of the same species. Whatever disasters have arisen to this group, it happened about 3.2 million years ago.
Excavated between 2005 and 2009, the body is partially similar but much older, dating back about 3.6 million years. It belongs to a male who is about 1.6 meters tall and about 30% larger. The nickname means "big man" in the Afar language.
Due to the lack of skull or tooth parts compared to those. Some scientists have questioned whether it can be distributed to the species.
Biologists hold skulls
Child of The Arfa Australopithecus
An almost complete tiny skeleton. 2006. More than five years of painstaking excavations have revealed aspects of the species that were previously unknown. A CT scan of the skull showed that the child's teeth developed similarly to that of a three-year-old chimpanzee. With no traces left by predators or scavengers, the child appears to have died naturally or accidentally and was quickly buried, perhaps by flash floods.
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