The Australopiths: Our Ancient, Ape-like Forefathers

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

A reconstruction of the skull of Australopithecus afarensis. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)

1.2 to 4.4 million years ago was a happening time in human evolution. It’s when our evolutionary branch — the hominins — diversified into about a dozen species, collectively known as Australopiths.

The most famous of these creatures is Lucy, the partial skeleton of a roughly 3-foot-6-inch female discovered in the 1970s. But Lucy is just one of many Australopiths known to science. Over the years resea

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