News Anthropology

Fossil finds amplify Europe’s status as a hotbed of great ape evolution

Two great apes — one small, one large — coexisted in what’s now Germany 11.6 million years ago, a new study says

The image shows three fossils at scale. On the left, on a black background, is a kneecap. On the right, on a white background, are two teeth. They fossils belong to a newfound ancient ape species, a new study contends.

This fossilized kneecap (left) and two partial molars belonged to an unusually small great ape that lived 11.6 million years ago in what’s now Europe, scientists say.

M. Böhme et al/PLOS One 2024 (CC BY 4.0)

By Bruce Bower

Two lines of ancient apes, including what may be the smallest great ape yet, lived alongside each other in Europe, fossils discovered in a Bavarian clay pit indicate.