Malawi is the cradle of humankind, scientist says | African Perspectives

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Malawi is the cradle of humankind, scientist says

Written by Reuters

Saturday, 24 October 2009 07:18

The latest discovery of pre-historic tools and remains of hominids (pictured: periodic table) in Malawi's remote northern district of Karonga provides further proof that the area could be the cradle of humankind, a leading German researcher said.

Professor Friedemann Schrenk of the Goethe University in Frankfurt told Reuters that two students working on the excavation site last month had discovered prehistoric tools and a tooth of an hominid.

"This latest discovery of prehistoric tools and remains of hominids provides additional proof to the theory that the Great Rift Valley of Africa and perhaps the excavation site near Karonga can be considered the cradle of humankind," Prof Schrenk said.

A hominid is a member of a family of primates which includes humans and their prehistoric ancestors.

The discovery was at Malema excavation site, 6 miles from Karonga. The site also contains some of the earliest dinosaurs, which lived between 100 million and 140 million years ago. Early hominids are believed to have lived between a million and 6 million years ago.

Prof Schrenk is leading a team of researchers from Europe and Africa to establish an African centre for interdisciplinary studies on mammal and hominid evolution in the southern African nation.

Karonga is about 380 miles north of the capital Lilongwe and is near the border with Tanzania.

Daily Telegraph

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