A team of scientists has pieced together how the hominid
Australopithecus sediba (Au. sediba) walked, chewed, and moved nearly two
million years ago. Their research, which appears in six papers in the latest
issue of the journal Science, also shows that Au. sediba had a notable feature
that differed from that of modern humans—a functionally longer and more
flexible lower back.
Together, the studies offer a comprehensive depiction of
some of the most complete early human ancestral remains ever discovered.
Since its discovery in August 2008, the site of
Malapa—located about 30 miles northwest of Johannesburg—has yielded more than
220 bones of early hominins representing more than five individuals, including
the remains of babies, juveniles, and adults. The evidence published in Science
is based on two individuals from the site. The fossils from the site date to
1.977 to 1.98 million years in age.