Enigmatic footprints, once thought to belong to a bear, linked to unknown human ancestor

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Researchers believe footprints that were previously attributed to a bear may have instead belonged to an early human ancestor that walked on two legs -- a revelation that could rewrite a chapter of the human story.

Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. Footprints discovered in 1978 at in Tanzania and dated to 3.66 million years ago were widely thought to be the oldest uncontested evidence of upright walking in the human family tree.

Found at a place known as Laetoli site G, they are generally accepted as belonging to Australopithecus afarensis -- the species of the famous skeleton"Lucy," perhaps the world's best known fossil. However, the Laetoli site G footprints weren't the only ancient trackways researchers came across at that time.

 

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