ESCONI Member, Floyd Rogers let us know that former
ESCONI Junior, Dr. Rebecca Rogers Ackermann, is an author on one of the
six journal Science articles in the current issue.

From Science: Abstract: Since the announcement of the species Australopithecus sediba,
questions have been raised over whether the Malapa fossils represent a
valid taxon or whether inadequate allowance was made
for intraspecific variation, in particular with
reference to the temporally and geographically proximate species Au. africanus. The morphology of mandibular remains of Au. sediba, including newly recovered material discussed here, shows that it is not merely a late-surviving morph of Au. africanus. Rather—as is seen elsewhere in the cranium, dentition, and postcranial skeleton—these mandibular remains share similarities
with other australopiths but can be differentiated from the hypodigm of Au. africanus in both size and shape as well as in their ontogenetic growth trajectory.  

From Discovery News:

“Two million years ago in South Africa, part-human and part-ape-like
individuals existed — and now we know what they looked like and how
they behaved: They had a primitive, pigeon-toed gait, human-like front
teeth, ate mostly veggies and spent a lot of time swinging in the trees.

The species, Australopithecus sediba, is a striking
example of human evolution, conclude six papers published in the journal
Science. Taken together, the papers describe how Au. sediba looked, walked, chewed and moved…”