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Thursday, October 28, 2010

Photo: Dental Detectives Reveal Diet of Ancient Human Ancestors


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The fossil skull of early human ancestor Paranthropus robustus, which died out 1.5 to 1 million years ago, is seen here.

High-tech dental detectives have revealed that the species had a surprisingly diverse diet, countering the theory that it went extinct because it couldn't cope with food scarcity in Africa's changing environment.

Photograph © Science