Portuguese 
English 
Spanish 
3 min of reading 
0 comments 
Discovery in Wadi Moghra reignites scientific debate and expands the role of North Africa in primate evolution
A scientific discovery of great relevance has once again stirred studies on human evolution. The fossil of Masripithecus moghraensis, found in Wadi Moghra, northern Egypt, is about 18 million years old and may help explain the origin of modern hominoids, a group that includes humans, chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, and gibbons. The discovery is noteworthy because it brings northeastern Africa closer to the main hypotheses about the separation between human ancestors and Old World monkeys. The finding also reinforces that primate evolution may have occurred in a broader region than previously considered.
Egyptian fossil reorganizes hypotheses about primate evolution
The most well-known hypothesis holds that modern hominoids began to differentiate from Old World monkeys between the end of the Oligocene and the beginning of the Miocene, about 25 million years ago. For a long time, regions like Kenya and Tanzania concentrated much of the fossil evidence from this period. Therefore, East Africa was treated as one of the main cradles of these lineages. However, the discovery in Wadi Moghra expands this scenario and indicates that the process may have also involved Afro-Arabian areas, including northeastern Africa, the Levant, and regions near the Eastern Mediterranean.
Robust jaw reveals diet, bite force, and evolutionary signs
The jaw of Masripithecus moghraensis presents a combination of ancient and modern traits. The robust structure, with large canines and premolars, as well as rounded molars, suggests a diet based on fruits, seeds, and hard foods. This anatomy indicates great bite force and helps researchers link the animal to lineages that directly preceded current hominoids. Thus, the fossil occupies a strategic position in the evolutionary tree, as it may represent one of the last trunk hominoids before the emergence of modern lineages.
-
While SpaceX and China advance in space, Europe is trying to create a reusable orbital plane capable of carrying payloads, operating independently in orbit, and returning to Earth without landing in the sea like traditional capsules.
-
Today: Moon approaches Saturn in the sky — see the time of the astronomical phenomenon
-
Chinese probe Tianwen-2 is traveling 45 million kilometers to touch Earth’s quasi-satellite Kamoʻoalewa and bring 100 grams of sample back home.
-
Researchers are excavating in Morocco the world’s oldest ankylosaur, dating back 165 million years, with nearly 1-meter long spines protruding from its neck.
Genetic data help calibrate the age of major divergences
Molecular research estimates that hominids, a group consisting of humans and great apes, and hylobatids, the group of gibbons and siamangs, separated from a common ancestor about 16 to 20 million years ago. This estimate helps to position the Egyptian fossil in relation to major evolutionary divergences. The age of Masripithecus moghraensis, aligned with genetic data, makes the finding especially important for understanding when and where these lineages began to differentiate. Still, molecular data indicate the time interval but do not precisely define the location of the separation.
North Africa gains strength in the search for the common ancestor
The position of Masripithecus moghraensis reinforces the hypothesis that northeastern Africa played a central role in the origin of modern hominoids. The fossil shows that the evolutionary history of the group may not have been limited only to Eastern Africa or Eurasia. The geographical distribution, dental details, and comparison with fossils from the same era help to create a broader picture of possible migration routes and areas of origin. With this, new expeditions and re-evaluations of museum collections may reveal other important Miocene traces.
Scientific debate remains open
The discovery in Wadi Moghra does not close the discussion about the last common ancestor among humans, great apes, and gibbons. However, it offers valuable clues about a decisive period in primate evolution. The fossil helps to differentiate stem hominoids, older and more generalist forms, from modern hominoids, lineages close to current species. Thus, each new analysis may bring scientists closer to the answer about where this common ancestor lived.
Could North Africa hold other fossils capable of changing the history of human evolution once again?
Be the first to react!