14 DAY TRIAL // An international team of researchers writing in the May 5 issue of the journal Nature announce the discovery of what they claim to be the world's oldest known fossil primate skeleton.
The fossil remains come from a genus and species that have never before been documented by science. The species is now named Archicebus achilles.
Sources say that the skeletal remains of this creature were dug out in China's Hubei Province, and that researchers hope that their anatomical particularities will help them better understand the evolution of both primates and humans.
The sediments from which this fossil primate skeleton was recovered were deposited at the bottom of the lake some 55 million years ago.
The primate is believed to have had slender limbs, a long tail and a weight of about 20-30 grams (0.7 – 1.05 ounces).
“Archicebus differs radically from any other primate, living or fossil, known to science. It looks like an odd hybrid with the feet of a small monkey, the arms, legs and teeth of a very primitive primate, and a primitive skull bearing surprisingly small eyes. It will force us to rewrite how the anthropoid lineage evolved,” Dr. Christopher Beard reportedly said.