Infant Hominin Skulls Examined

TOULOUSE, FRANCE—IFL Science reports that José Braga of the University of Toulouse and the University of the Witwatersrand, and Jacopo Moggi-Cecchi of the University of Florence examined three fragmented hominin skulls of babies or young children discovered in South Africa and Ethiopia in an effort to determine if species-specific traits were present from birth. For example, Homo habilis adults can be identified through their robust jaws with elongated tooth rows, and Homo erectus adults are known for their continuous brow ridges. The infants’ remains were then compared to 15 other human crania belonging to slightly older children. The researchers were able to identify two of the infant skulls as belonging to Homo habilis and Homo affinis erectus, or a species closely related to Homo erectus. The scientists were not able to identify the third skull with confidence, however. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Nature Communications. To read more about hominins in Ethiopia, go to "Artifact: Australopithecus anamensis Cranium."