While excavating at a dig site in Algeria, archaeologists came across the well-preserved remains of two primate species. Both are some 50 million years old, and belong to the small primate Algeripithecus, often considered to be the oldest African anthropoid. From this group, both apes and men evolved. According to a recent analysis done on the fossilized craniodental fossils, it would appear that the animals in fact belonged to another group, known as crown strepsirhines, AlphaGalileo reports.

French experts from the Universite de Montpellier/CNRS Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution were behind the new analysis. They worked together with Algerian paleontologists from the universities of Tlemcen, Oran and Jijel, and the results of their work appear in the September 9th online issue of the respected scientific journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B (Biological Sciences). The paper once again opens the debate on the origins of anthropoids. A conclusion to this debate would essentially tell us where our ancestors originated from when they first appeared.

The lemurs of Madagascar, the galagos of Central Africa and the loris of Southern Asia are today the only known descendants of the other group of primates, crown strepsirhines, that is known to have lived alongside anthropoids. While the latter is known to have lived after the Algerian Sahara revealed two perfectly preserved molars that belonged to individuals of this species in 1992, the former's existence has been known for much longer. Basically, some 50 million years ago, Algeripithecus represented anthropoids and Azibius represented crown strepsirhines.

In the new investigations, the international team uncovered a new series of fossils belonging to the two animals, but this time they also found mandibles. They noticed an adaptation to nocturnal activity and the putative presence of a “toothcomb” in the lower tooth row of the Algeripithecus remains, which was conclusive with what they knew about Azibius. The team thus concluded that the former was not a member of the anthropoid group after all, but rather of the other one. The find offers further support to the theory that argues an Asian origin for humans, but the debate on this is probably going to rage on for a while, so nothing is yet certain.