Researchers study fossilized footprints preserved along the shores of Kenya’s Lake Turkana, first discovered in 1978, to better understand an extinct human relative that lived more than 1.4 million years ago. Reporting in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists analyze a set of trackways interpreted as evidence of how these ancient humans moved and lived. The footprint patterns suggest the individuals had a larger body size than previously estimated for this group, based on measurements derived from the tracks. The study also describes group dynamics inferred from the arrangement and timing of the footprints, indicating that multiple individuals traveled together along the lakeshore rather than moving only as isolated walkers. Across the coverage, the common focus is that the preserved trackways provide rare, direct behavioral information—both about physical characteristics and about movement in a group—at a time deep in the human lineage. The findings are presented as updates to earlier interpretations drawn from limited evidence, using the footprint record to infer aspects of size and social movement.
Fossil footprints from Kenya’s Lake Turkana shed light on an extinct human relative
Researchers study fossilized footprints preserved along the shores of Kenya’s Lake Turkana, first discovered in 1978, to better understand an extinct human relative that lived more than 1.4 million ye...
- Fossil footprints preserved near Kenya’s Lake Turkana were discovered in 1978.
- Scientists analyze trackways dated to more than 1.4 million years ago.
- The study concludes the extinct human relative had a larger body size than previously thought.
- Footprint patterns indicate individuals move in groups rather than alone.
- The results are reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Ancient footprints along Kenya’s Lake Turkana have been studied since their discovery in 1978.
2 hours agoAncient footprints preserved along the shores of Kenya's Lake Turkana are reshaping scientists' understanding of one of humanity's extinct relatives. A paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences describes a set of fossil trackways made by a group of ancient human relatives moving along a lakeshore more than 1.4 million years ago.
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