World's Oldest Primate Fossil Discovered
Archicebus achilles CAS/Xijun Ni Recovered from sedimentary rock strata deposited in an ancient Chinese lake roughly 55 million years ago, Archicebus achilles provides a key link in the history of human evolution. A tiny, beady-eyed, long-tailed primate with hand-like feet is now the world's oldest known fossil primate skeleton. In a study to be released in the journal Nature this week, an international team of researchers describe their discovery of the Archicebus achilles and how it's adding to what we understand about our own evolution. The Archicebus achilles--named for its long tail and strange feet--was found in an ancient lakebed in China. The lack of oxygen at the bottom of the lake means that this specimen is remarkably complete and well-preserved. Recovered from sedimentary rock strata deposited in an ancient lake roughly 55 million years ago, this fossil is the oldest primate fossil, beating the previous record-holders--including Darwinius from Messel...