An unknown human species discovered? These fossilized teeth from 2.6 million years ago may change what we know about our past
Scientists have discovered ancient teeth that could provide clues to a new species of human.
Recent fossil research in Ethiopia’s Afar Region has upended the idea that human evolution followed a simple, straight line. Instead, it suggests that different early human ancestors lived side by side some 2.6 to 2.8 million years ago. Scientists excavating at Ledi-Geraru uncovered 13 fossilised teeth—ten belonging to an early form of Australopithecus, and three tied to the Homo genus—which seems to show that these lineages coexisted in the same place and timeframe.
Incredibly, analysis indicates that the Australopithecus teeth might come from a species not previously recognised—distinct from known forms like A. afarensis or A. garhi. If accurate, this could mean the discovery of a new species—and offers a snapshot of more complex hominin diversity at the time.
The Homo teeth—dated to between 2.59 and 2.78 million years old—reinforce the already known antiquity of our genus in the region. Such overlap challenges the “march of progress” view of human evolution, replacing it with a more nuanced “branching tree” model where different hominin species thrived concurrently in similar habitats.
“Once we found Homo, I thought that was all we would find, and then one day on survey, we found the Australopithecus teeth,” study coauthor Kaye Reed said. “What is most important, is that it shows again, that human evolution is not linear. There were species that went extinct; some were better adapted than others, and others interbred with us — we know this for Neanderthals for sure. So anytime that we have another piece to the puzzle of where we came from, it is important.”
Coauthor Christopher Campisano, associate director scientist, added that the geography of the region gives way to amazing discoveries such as this one: “The continent is quite literally unzipping there, which creates a lot of volcanism and tectonics. At 2 1⁄2, 3 million years ago, these volcanoes spewed out ash that contain crystals called feldspars that allow us to date the eruptions that were happening on the landscape when they’re deposited.”
Experts emphasise how rare this kind of direct overlap is in the fossil record. Prior evidence had suggested Australopithecus went extinct in the area by around 2.95 million years ago—which includes famous finds like “Lucy,” who walked upright 3.2 million years ago.
“We know what the teeth and mandible of the earliest Homo look like, but that’s it,” said Brian Villmoare, lead study author and associate professor in the department of anthropology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in a statement. “This emphasises the critical importance of finding additional fossils to understand the differences between Australopithecus and Homo, and potentially how they were able to overlap in the fossil record at the same location.”
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Still, caution remains. Some scholars argue that teeth alone may not be enough to declare a new species; they could represent evolved variants of familiar ones or belong to overlapping populations. As a result, the team hasn’t formally named the newfound Australopithecus species, pending further discoveries—such as skeletal remains—to better define its status.
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