KNM ER 3733
Encyclopedia
KNM ER 3733 is a fossil
ized hominid
cranium of the extinct hominid Homo ergaster
(or erectus
) It was discovered in Koobi Fora
, Kenya
by Bernard Ngeneo in 1975.
KNM ER 3733 is one of the oldest Homo ergaster skulls in the world. In a 1989 publication in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology
, Dr. Craig Feibel, now at Rutgers University
Geology Department (U.S.A), and his co-workers estimated the age of KNM-ER 3733 at ~1.8 million years old. However, more recent research using magnetostratigraphy
has determined the age of KNM-ER 3733 to be about 1.7 million years old (http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2010E&PSL.290..362L)
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
ized hominid
Hominidae
The Hominidae or include them .), as the term is used here, form a taxonomic family, including four extant genera: chimpanzees , gorillas , humans , and orangutans ....
cranium of the extinct hominid Homo ergaster
Homo ergaster
Homo ergaster is an extinct chronospecies of Homo that lived in eastern and southern Africa during the early Pleistocene, about 2.5–1.7 million years ago.There is still disagreement on the subject of the classification, ancestry, and progeny of H...
(or erectus
Homo erectus
Homo erectus is an extinct species of hominid that lived from the end of the Pliocene epoch to the later Pleistocene, about . The species originated in Africa and spread as far as India, China and Java. There is still disagreement on the subject of the classification, ancestry, and progeny of H...
) It was discovered in Koobi Fora
Koobi Fora
Koobi Fora refers primarily to a region around Koobi Fora Ridge, located on the eastern shore of Lake Turkana in the territory of the nomadic Gabbra people. According to the National Museums of Kenya, the name comes from the Gabbra language:...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
by Bernard Ngeneo in 1975.
KNM ER 3733 is one of the oldest Homo ergaster skulls in the world. In a 1989 publication in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology
American Journal of Physical Anthropology
The American Journal of Physical Anthropology is a peer-reviewed scientific journal and the official journal of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists...
, Dr. Craig Feibel, now at Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
Geology Department (U.S.A), and his co-workers estimated the age of KNM-ER 3733 at ~1.8 million years old. However, more recent research using magnetostratigraphy
Magnetostratigraphy
Magnetostratigraphy is a geophysical correlation technique used to date sedimentary and volcanic sequences. The method works by collecting oriented samples at measured intervals throughout the section. The samples are analyzed to determine their characteristic remanent magnetization , that is, the...
has determined the age of KNM-ER 3733 to be about 1.7 million years old (http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2010E&PSL.290..362L)
See also
- List of fossil sites (with link directory)
- List of hominina (hominid) fossils (with images)