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Headline News
"Another Footprint in Time"
July 10, 2002
Dateline: Chad, Central Western Africa
"Another Footprint in Time"
Human Nature revolves around curiosity covering the entire spectrum from the origin of the Universe
to the origin of our species. This quest for knowledge and validation has once again, led us to the Continent of Africa.
One of the most important contributions in the area of Human Evolution came from Louis and Mary
Leakey, whose efforts in putting the pieces of the puzzle together lead to the formation of what is now known as The Leakey Foundation.
Louis Leakey's first expedition in 1931 in Olduvai Gorge in the Tanganyika Colony, Africa began many years of intense archaeological digs, making the World spin in wonder.
Subsequently, our collective appetities grew and the zest for concrete evidence beyond the Leakey's fountain of information has led us to a revolution of new discoveries, including one announced this date, July 10, 2002.
Africa has always been a hotbed of speculation, based on tried and true hunt and peck, dig and sift, elbow grease efforts. A majority of evidence regarding the origin of Man had, up until now, centered
in the Eastern and Southern areas of Africa, with concentration on the Rift Valley.
However, recent information points to the possibility of earlier Man, approximately 1,500 north, in
Chad's Djurab Desert. A fossilized skull discovered just about one year ago by a Chadian student working with an international team led by the University of Poitiers' "Michel Brunet."
Based on the remarkably well-preserved skull and other fossils found at the Chad site, there is a strong possibility that this previously unknown hominid could be the earliest known evidence of our
ancestors, from 6 to 7 million years ago.
This possibility alone has caused an avalanche of excitement in the paleontology community. Full details of this discovery is available in the July 11, 2002, issue of Nature
. Professor of Anthropology at Harvard University, "Daniel Lieberman" is quoted as saying, this find "will have the impact of a small nuclear bomb."
"Lieberman" has personally viewed the specimen. His comments revolved around the fact that on examination, it appears this 'being' has a combination of primitive and advanced traits. The face and
teeth are more 'humanlike' while the actual braincase is more "chimplike."
As always, Man continues to wonder and study and search. Perhaps this time, some of the jigsaw
pieces will land in the correct places and connecting the dots will give us the clues we need, to begin to understand Human origins.
Nancy, Director of Operations, Editor
Skull sparks an evolution revolution
http://www.msnbc.com/news/778162.asp?cp1=1
The Leakey Foundation
http://www.leakeyfoundation.org/
The Leakey Foundation - Timeline of Discovery
http://www.leakeyfoundation.org/discoveries/d2_1.jsp