STS 14
Exhibit Item
Site:
Sterkfontein, Republic of South Africa
Year of Discovery:
Discovered by:
Robert Broom and John T. Robinson
Age:
About 2.5 million years old
Species:
Australopithecus africanus
No Scan
Curved spine
This partial skeleton consists of several thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, a pelvis, a sacrum, and pieces of a rib and a femur. The vertebrate show this species walked upright in a way very similar to modern humans. The uniquely human curve of your lower back absorbs shock when you walk. This early human's spine had the same curve.
photo not available
(Copyright Smithsonian Institution)