The History of Our Tribe Hominini Textbook Part IV Pleistocene Epoch Chapter 25 Homo species indeterminate

25 . Homo species indeterminate Homo species indeterminate ( A possible new species of Early Homo was recently discovered . et al . 2015 ) reported on what they are calling Homo species . indeterminate ) The half mandible ( was discovered by in 2013 at the site in the Afar region of Ethiopia . If indeed the jaw is part of the Homo lineage , it extends the origin of our genus to , 400 kya older than the oldest habilis men , AL from the site in Ethiopia where Lucy was discovered . et al . 2015 ) believe that the specimen represents a transitional form between Au . and Homo habilis . Support for their supposition includes the combination of and characteristics seen in the mandible and teeth , as well as the fact that it is from the same area as Au . that is known to have survived there until . They report on a fragmentary mandible from the Fora site in Kenya ( 5431 ) that exhibits a similar combination of and Homo morphology ( see et al . 2015 for ) The anterior of the mandible exhibits the most primitive characteristics , along with some . Homo characteristics include narrower molars with more derived dimensions and cusp , and the premolar configuration is less or , as evidenced by wear patterns . They conclude that deviation in the teeth and jaws , from the condition , occurred early in the Homo lineage . et al . 2015 ) reported on the of the site . The area was a mosaic environment consisting of open and scrubland , gallery forest , and lakes rivers . They see a faunal turnover in the strata , in accordance with the area becoming more open and likely arid with an increase in grazers . They cite evidence for climatic and vegetation shifts resulting from processes and volcanism that altered the architecture of sedimentary basins ( see et , for ) Their work fills an important gap in the history of the region . The fact that Au . is younger and their teeth are more robust leads the researchers to conclude that Au . is not part of our ancestry , as earlier and later forms of Homo had more gracile teeth and jaws . The same would also hold true for Au . due to their much later appearance in the fossil record at . However , Hawks et al . 2015 ) argue that the ( bone measurements ) and anatomical features do not support firm taxonomic placement in genus Homo . They believe that they have ample evidence showing that Au . is closely related to early species of Homo ( see Chapter 21 ) 156