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Monday, November 23, 2009

Photo: New Ape May Be Human-Gorilla Ancestor


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A newly found fossil jawbone comes from an ancient great ape species that could be the last common ancestor of gorillas and humans, scientists say.

Nakalipithecus nakayamai had such unusual teeth, such as the canine and incisors seen in the inset, that it was placed in a new genus as well.

Jawbone image courtesy of Yutaku Kunimatsu; inset courtesy of PNAS/National Academy of Sciences