Africanthropus

/ˌæfrɪˈkænθrəpəs/ noun

Definition

A genus of extinct early hominins discovered in Africa, used in paleoanthropology to classify primitive human ancestors.

Etymology

Combining 'Africa' with Greek 'anthropos' (human). This scientific name was created in the early 20th century to designate fossil remains found in African excavations.

Kelly Says

Africanthropus represents humanity's scientific attempts to organize our evolutionary family tree, though many of these old fossil classifications have been reorganized as we've discovered more evidence about how humans actually evolved.

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