Ancient ape fossil in Egypt could rewrite the story of human evolution

An artist’s impression of Masripithecus moghraensis. PIC COURTESY/Mauricio Anton

Fossil discoveries from East Africa, Europe, and Asia have helped trace the rise of modern apes.

However, North Africa has remained absent from the record. Researchers have now found what they call Masripithecus moghraensis, a previously unknown ape species that lived roughly 17 to 18 million years ago during the Early Miocene.

Unearthed at the Wadi Moghra fossil site in northern Egypt, the remains represent the first definitive fossil ape from North Africa and provide new evidence that the region may have been a crucial crossroads in the early evolution and dispersal of apes.

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