How does the body of Turkana Boy differ from the body of a modern human?
Research showed that his growth differed from that of modern humans: he would have had a shorter and smaller adolescent growth spurt. The skeleton was discovered in 1984 by Kamoya Kimeu, a member of a team led by Richard Leakey, at Nariokotome near Lake Turkana in northwest Kenya.
What kind of human was Turkana Boy?
African Homo erectus
What is special about the Turkana Boy?
The ‘Turkana Boy’ skeleton has allowed scientists to find out a lot of information about body size, body shape, and growth rates of Homo erectus. Although he had a disability which hindered his movement, his body shows long legs and narrow shoulders typical of humans who live in hot, dry climate today.
Why was Turkana boy so well preserved?
During the wetter times, it was an ideal place for early humans to live, and when they died it was a perfect place for their remains to fossilise. That’s because Lake Turkana lies in a volcanic area, where tectonic activity can move Earth’s crust and create new layers.
How did Nariokotome boy die?
About 1.8 million years ago, a boy died. An abcessed tooth suggests an infection may have killed him, although the cause is not certain. His bones were fossilized, and they lay undetected until 1985, when they were discovered by paleoanthropologist Richard Leakey.
How did Nariokotome die?
The partial skeleton of woman known only as KNM-ER 1808 (Homo ergaster) was found in 1973. She died about 1.7 million years ago from a painful condition that may have been caused by vitamin A poisoning. This cause of death is suggested by the layer of abnormal bone which covered the bones in her arms and legs.
What is our closest extinct relative?
Neanderthals (the ‘th’ pronounced as ‘t’) are our closest extinct human relative.
How old is the Java Man?
Estimated to be between 700,000 and 1,000,000 years old, it was, at the time of its discovery, the oldest hominid fossils ever found, and it remains the type specimen for Homo erectus.
Who found the Java Man?
Eugène Dubois
Who found the Peking Man?
These hominids lived around 400,000 years ago and came to be known as Peking Man. The first complete skullcap discovered at the Peking Man site was unearthed by a Chinese team in a candlelit pit in 1929.
How old is the oldest human fossil ever found?
The oldest reliably classified fossils belonging to the genus Homo date back to a little over 2 million years ago. They belong to H. habilis, a type of ancient hominin that scientists classify as the first of our genus, and which may have led to H. erectus, one of our direct ancestors.