Scientists stumbled upon the Ardipithecus fossil in 1994 when a graduate student found a single upper molar tooth . Researchers have unveiled a 4.4 million-year-old skeleton of a hominid female . The fossil , nicknamed Ardi , may be the oldest hominid skeleton ever found . It replaces Lucy , a much-publicized skeleton that dates back about 3 million years . Score: 6 Ardi suggests humans and chimps evolved from a common ancestor .
Researchers have unveiled a 4.4 million-year-old skeleton of a hominid female . The fossil , nicknamed Ardi , may be the oldest hominid skeleton ever found . It replaces Lucy , a much-publicized skeleton that dates back about 3 million years . Score: 6 Ardi suggests humans and chimps evolved from a common ancestor .