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.

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Duke Authors

Churchill, Steven E.

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

Science (New York, N.Y.)

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

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