July 26, 2002

Fossil Discovery Taps Roots of Human Family Tree

By RICHARD MONASTERSKY

Skull is hailed as the most important find in generations

After toiling for decades on the edge of the Sahara, researchers from France and Chad reported this month that they had found fossils of the oldest and most primitive known member of the human family -- a chimpanzee-size creature that lived more than six million years ago.

Although some paleontologists question whether the animal warrants a branch on the human family tree, scientists say the discovery shines light on

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