Particle.news
Download on the App Store
4 ARTICLES
·
6d ago

Oldest, Most Complete Homo Habilis Skeleton Described From Kenya

By linking a rare trove of upper-limb bones with matched teeth, researchers secure a confident species identification that yields new size estimates.

Image
Two views of a modern-human skeleton showing the bones of H. habilis that were discovered in 2012.
Replica of a Homo habilis skull, not associated with this study
Facial reconstruction of Homo habilis. Image credit: Cicero Moraes.

Overview

  • Published January 13 in The Anatomical Record, the KNM-ER 64061 specimen dates to roughly 2.02–2.06 million years ago from the Koobi Fora Formation near Ileret in northern Kenya.
  • The partial skeleton includes both humeri, both radii and ulnae, clavicles, scapular fragments, parts of the pelvis and sacrum, and a nearly complete set of mandibular teeth from the same individual.
  • Analyses show proportionally long, strongly built forearms with unusually thick cortical bone, aligning Homo habilis with australopith-like upper-limb traits rather than the proportions seen in later Homo erectus.
  • Researchers estimate a stature of about 1.6 meters and a body mass of roughly 30.7–32.7 kilograms, indicating a small-bodied early Homo with a mosaic of ancestral and derived features.
  • Lower-limb remains are scarce, leaving gait and ancestry questions unresolved, and the team highlights the need for additional leg fossils to clarify locomotor adaptations.