Overview

• Researchers report 13 fossilized teeth from the Ledi-Geraru site, with ten attributed to a morphologically distinct Australopithecus and three to early Homo.
• Interbedded volcanic ash layers containing feldspar crystals were radiometrically dated to bracket the fossils at approximately 2.6–2.8 million years ago.
• The Australopithecus teeth differ significantly from A. afarensis but remain unnamed pending discovery of additional skeletal material required for formal species designation.
• Co-occurrence of early Homo and the provisional Australopithecus reinforces a bushy, branching model of human evolution with overlapping lineages.
• Ongoing enamel chemistry studies and further excavations aim to clarify dietary niches, ecological overlap and links to nearby early stone tools.