Study Shows: Prehistoric Humans Had Company

nairobi - A recent study revealed that prehistoric humans were not alone, based on footprints found in Kenya.

The footprints were discovered three years ago near a lake in northern Kenya. They were embedded in mud and buried under sediment at Koobi Fora, a prominent fossil site. By analyzing the shapes and impact patterns of the footprints, researchers determined that the two sets were different.

Published in the scientific journal Science, the study concluded that the footprints belonged to the extinct human species 'Homo erectus' and 'Paranthropus boisei', separated by hours or days. This sheds light on ancient human relatives and their interactions.

Previous fossil findings indicated that both species lived in the region, but this new discovery provided the first direct evidence of their overlapping existence.

'Homo erectus' used stone tools and possibly cooked over fire. Their varied diet likely included meat, and the species dispersed to Asia, Indonesia, and survived for over a million years after the footprints were made before going extinct around 100,000 years ago.

On the other hand, 'Paranthropus boisei' had smaller brains, powerful jaw muscles, and large teeth. Experts believe they evolved to consume tough foods like hard nuts or grind tough, low-quality vegetation. This species likely went extinct within a few hundred thousand years after the footprints were made due to environmental changes affecting their specialized diet.