Evolution: An extinct hominin from Afar (Nature)
22 January 2026
The discovery of fossilized remains of an extinct hominin called Paranthropus in north-eastern Ethiopia, dating to about 2.6 million years ago, expands the number of hominin species known to have been in the region at that time. The findings, published in Nature this week, sheds light on the distribution and versatility of this ancient relative of humans.
The Afar basin in north-eastern Ethiopia contains a rich fossil record documenting more than four million years of human evolution. This includes members of both Homo and Australopithecus (such as ‘Lucy’). However, another hominin — Paranthropus — has been conspicuously absent, despite having been found at other sites in Africa.
Zeresenay Alemseged and colleagues present part of an approximately 2.6-million-year-old mandible, attributed to Paranthropus, found in the Mille-Logya research area of Afar. The remains include the lower left side of the jawbone and a partial molar crown. It is one of the oldest known Paranthropus fossils to be found and suggests that the genus was more widespread than previously thought. Instead of being restricted to eastern and southerly regions of Africa, it seems the genus was able to exploit diverse habitats from north Ethiopia to South Africa, just like Homo and Australopithecus. The extended distribution of Paranthropus also suggests greater level of dietary and behavioural flexibility than previously thought.
The discovery contributes to the study of human evolution by expanding the knowledge of the range of hominin species in Africa, the authors conclude.
- Article
- Published: 21 January 2026
Alemseged, Z., Spoor, F., Reed, D. et al. Afar fossil shows broad distribution and versatility of Paranthropus. Nature (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09826-x
News & Views: A variety of early hominin species shared the Afar region of Ethiopia
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-03727-9
© 2026 Springer Nature Limited. All Rights Reserved.
