Ardipithecus

How does fossil evidence of the cranial remains (the skull) affect our

interpretations of the early hominine lineage?

One of the most debated issues in current research on human origins focuses on how the

African species, 4.4 million years old Ardipithecus ramidus, “Ardi” is related to the human

lineage. Ardi was an unusual primate, although it had a tiny brain, a big toe to grip and climb

trees, small canine teeth, like those of humans, and pelvis superior to walk modified form biped

on the ground.

The research team field was Tim White who recovered the fossil remains of Ardipithecus

ramidus in the area of Middle Awash in Ethiopia since 1990. The most recent Ardi's skull, led by

Gen Suwa, study was published in the journal Science in 2009, whose work (with the Middle

Awash team) first revealed similar aspects of the cranial base with humans. Also Kimbel co-led

the team that recovered the first skull of Australopithecus at the site of Hadar, Ethiopia, home of

the Lucy skeleton.

"Given the very small size Ardi's skull, the similarity of the cranial base with a human is

amazing," says Kimble. The skull base is valuable to study the phylogeny or natural evolutionary

relationships resource, since their anatomical complexity and partnership with the brain as well

as their position and the masticatory system, provided numerous opportunities for adaptive

evolution through time. The base of the human skull, therefore, differs profoundly from that of

other primates. In humans the structure makes the joint of the spine with the cranium is located

further forward than in apes, wherein the base is shorter front to back, and the openings on each

side for the passage of blood vessels and nerves are further apart.

These differences in shape affect how the bones are arranged in the skull base, so it is

easy to tell apart even in apes and humans fragment

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