Late Miocene Teeth from Middle Awash, Ethiopia, and Early Hominid Dental Evolution
Abstract
Late Miocene fossil hominid teeth recovered from Ethiopia's Middle Awash are assigned to Ardipithecus kadabba. Their primitive morphology and wear pattern demonstrate that A. kadabba is distinct from Ardipithecus ramidus. These fossils suggest that the last common ancestor of apes and humans had a functionally honing canine–third premolar complex. Comparison with teeth of Sahelanthropus and Orrorin, the two other named late Miocene hominid genera, implies that these putative taxa are very similar to A. kadabba. It is therefore premature to posit extensive late Miocene hominid diversity on the basis of currently available samples.
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We thank the Authority for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, Ethiopia, for field permits; the National Museum of Ethiopia for access to the Paleoanthropological Laboratory in Addis Ababa; G. WoldeGabriel, B. Asfaw, F. Bibi, L. Hlusko, C. Pehlevan, and many local Afar people for assistance; the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and the Royal Museum of Central Africa (Tervuren, Belgium) for access to their collections; and L. Gudz, H. Gilbert, and G. Petusky for illustrations and photography. Supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (G.S.). The Middle Awash fieldwork was supported by NSF grants SBR-9318698, SBR-9512534, SBR-9714432, BCS-9910344, and BCS-0321893.
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Science
Volume 303 | Issue 5663
5 March 2004
5 March 2004
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American Association for the Advancement of Science.
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Received: 27 October 2003
Accepted: 13 January 2004
Published in print: 5 March 2004
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- Yohannes Haile-Selassie et al.
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