New Ape Species Discovered in Egypt Challenges Origins Theory

Paleontologists have identified a new species of early ape from northern Egypt that dates back 17 to 18 million years, providing evidence that the ancestors of modern apes, including humans, may have originated in North Africa rather than the long-assumed cradle of East Africa.

The fossils, consisting of jawbone fragments and teeth, were unearthed in 2023 and 2024 at the Wadi Moghra site in Egypt's Western Desert by a team led by Shorouq Al-Ashqar of Mansoura University's Vertebrate Paleontology Center. The specimens, from at least two individuals, include a partial mandible with molars and a separate jaw fragment. Researchers named the species Masripithecus moghraensis, with the genus reflecting its Egyptian origin. The discovery was detailed in a study published March 26 in the journal Science.

Analysis of the fossils revealed distinctive dental features, such as low-crowned, heavily ridged molars and large canines relative to body size, which align with early hominoid traits. The apes lacked tails, distinguishing them from monkeys, and weighed around 25 kilograms, comparable to a small female chimpanzee. Both individuals appear to have been males based on canine size. The...