article_snippet: the discovery of a gray, fossilized jawbone in a remote corner of Ethiopia, a student at Arizona State University may have changed our understanding of our earliest ancestors.
article_snippet: The partial lower jaw is the oldest known fossil evidence of the genus Homo, to which modern day humans belong, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Science.
article_snippet: The age of the fossil means The age of the fossil could help fill in an important gap in our knowledge.
article_snippet: Fossil found by fisherman may reveal new type of ancient human .
article_snippet: Fossil found by fisherman also means the Homo genus could have evolved nearly half a million years earlier than previously thought.
article_snippet: Researchers have previously found fossil remains dating back 3 million years or more, such as the skeleton of "Lucy," the famous 3.2 million-year-old remains of the species Australopithecus afarensis.
article_snippet: the famous 3.2 million-year-old remains of the species Australopithecus afarensis were found in 1974 not far from the site of the latest discovery.
article_snippet: Scientists have also found fossils that are 2.3 million years old and younger, which are in the genus Homo and are closer to modern day humans.
article_snippet: But until now there has been little fossil evidence from the 700,000 years in between -- a crucial period in the evolution from hominids like Lucy to the Homo genus.
article_snippet: The importance of the specimen is that the specimen adds a data point to a period of time in our ancestry in which our have very little information," said William H. Kimbel, director of ASU's Institute of Human Origins, in the university's news release.
article_snippet: Already the team has been able to establish that this early human ancestor walked on two legs and lived in a dry, arid climate, Reed said.
article_snippet: It's an excellent case of a transitional fossil in a critical time period in human evolution," said Kimbel.
article_snippet: Paleolithic skull may shed light on humans' path from Africa .