A fossilized lower ape jaw found in the southwestern Sinai is prompting researchers to rethink the origins of modern apes, including humans, according to a study in the journal Science.
The fossil, discovered at Wadi Maghara, belongs to a new genus and species called Masripithecus moghraensis (“Egyptian ape/trickster from Maghara”). The bone dates back to the Early Miocene epoch, around 17 to 18 million years ago.
Unearthed in 2023 and 2024, the incomplete remains consist of a few jawbone fragments and worn teeth. Shorouq Al-Ashqar, a paleontologist at Egypt’s Mansoura University and the study’s first author, called the find significant and unexpected, shedding light on gaps in existing knowledge.
Apes were thought to have originated in East Africa before spreading to Europe and Asia, but the discovery of these fossils challenges that assumption, suggesting a possible emergence farther north.
Sergio Almécija, a biological anthropologist not involved in the study, emphasized the value of new ape fossil discoveries due to their rarity, especially in regions where they were previously unknown.
To place M. moghraensis in the evolutionary ape tree, researchers analyzed the age, anatomy of ape fossils, and DNA of living apes. The study indicates that M. moghraensis predates the split between great apes and “lesser apes,” hinting at a close relation to the common ancestor of modern apes living in a similar area.
Almécija criticized these findings as “far-fetched,” suggesting a need for more complete fossils before fully accepting the theory, while Al-Ashqar highlighted the importance of dental anatomy in understanding diet and evolutionary history in mammalian paleontology.
