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1: Science. 2004 Mar 5;303(5663):1503-5.Click here to read Links
Comment in:
Science. 2004 Mar 5;303(5663):1478-80.

Late Miocene teeth from Middle Awash, Ethiopia, and early hominid dental evolution.

Haile-Selassie Y, Suwa G, White TD.

Cleveland Museum of Natural History, 1 Wade Oval Drive, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA. yhailese@cmnh.org

Late Miocene fossil hominid teeth recovered from Ethiopia's Middle Awash are assigned to Ardipithecus kadabba. Their primitive morphology and wear pattern demonstrate that A. kadabba is distinct from Ardipithecus ramidus. These fossils suggest that the last common ancestor of apes and humans had a functionally honing canine-third premolar complex. Comparison with teeth of Sahelanthropus and Orrorin, the two other named late Miocene hominid genera, implies that these putative taxa are very similar to A. kadabba. It is therefore premature to posit extensive late Miocene hominid diversity on the basis of currently available samples.

PMID: 15001775 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]