Australopithecus sediba at 1.977 Ma and implications for the origins of the genus Homo.
Journal Article (Journal Article)
Newly exposed cave sediments at the Malapa site include a flowstone layer capping the sedimentary unit containing the Australopithecus sediba fossils. Uranium-lead dating of the flowstone, combined with paleomagnetic and stratigraphic analysis of the flowstone and underlying sediments, provides a tightly constrained date of 1.977 ± 0.002 million years ago (Ma) for these fossils. This refined dating suggests that Au. sediba from Malapa predates the earliest uncontested evidence for Homo in Africa.
Full Text
Duke Authors
Cited Authors
- Pickering, R; Dirks, PHGM; Jinnah, Z; de Ruiter, DJ; Churchil, SE; Herries, AIR; Woodhead, JD; Hellstrom, JC; Berger, LR
Published Date
- September 2011
Published In
Volume / Issue
- 333 / 6048
Start / End Page
- 1421 - 1423
PubMed ID
- 21903808
Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)
- 1095-9203
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
- 0036-8075
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
- 10.1126/science.1203697
Language
- eng