Massive arm bones provide insight into how ‘robust’ P.
boisei species adapted in Africa
A human ancestor characterized by "robust" jaw and
skull bones was a muscular creature with a gorilla-like upper body and more
adaptive to its environment than previously thought, scientists have
discovered.
Researchers found a partial skeleton -- including arm, hand,
leg and foot fragments -- dated to 1.34 million years old and belonging to
Paranthropus boisei at the Olduvai Gorge World Heritage fossil site in
Tanzania. The find, published in the latest edition of the scientific journal
PLOS ONE, represents one of the most recent occurrences of P. boisei before its
extinction in East Africa.