Father of Us All?

THIS CHIMPLIKE CREATURE ROAMED THE WOODS OF CENTRAL AFRICA 7 MILLION YEARS AGO. TODAY IT'S SHAKING UP THE HUMAN FAMILY TREE

In life, the creature probably resembled a chimpanzee more than anything else. It moved through a lakeside landscape of grasslands and forest searching for food, accompanied by small bands of its fellows, most likely, and keeping a sharp eye out for pythons, crocodiles and saber-toothed cats. This animal probably shared the forest with apes and monkeys and, like them, spent some time up in the trees. It may have walked upright, which apes rarely do for very long at a stretch. But at a casual glance, it would have seemed to our eyes like just another chimp.

In death, however, this...

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