Newly discovered fossils in Kenya reveal that Paranthropus boisei, once seen as a simple plant-eater, had surprisingly human-like hands and feet\u2014rewriting its place in human evolution. (CREDIT: Cicero Moraes \/ CC BY-SA 4.0)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
For decades, Paranthropus boisei, an early hominin that roamed eastern Africa a million years ago, was known for its gigantic jaw and powerfully constructed biting muscles. Its coarse-grass and reed diet earned it the name \u201cNutcracker Man,\u201d but the remainder of its skeleton remained a mystery.<\/p>\n
Now, fossils recently unearthed in the Turkana Basin of Kenya are giving scientists their first close-up glimpse of this ancient relative\u2019s hands and feet\u2014and revealing a far more dexterous and earth-bound species than anybody expected.<\/p>\n
A Million-Year-Old Puzzle Piece<\/h3>\n
Between 2019 and 2021, researchers, led by paleoanthropologist Carrie Mongle of Stony Brook University<\/a>, discovered fossil remains near Kenya\u2019s Koobi Fora. The bones, labeled as KNM-ER 101000, date about 1.52 million years ago. They consist of both hand and foot components that were found side by side together with skull and tooth remains clearly of Paranthropus boisei. For the first time, scientists were able to identify these body parts as belonging to one individual with confidence.<\/p>\n