Little Foot is a big deal. Not only is this rare and wonderfully preserved skeleton the most complete australopithecine -- a putative evolutionary ancestor of humans-- specimen ever discovered, but it is also one of the oldest hominid skeletons dated so far. However, Little Foot has caused quite a stir among the scientific community, and no one could agree on how old he is. Now, thanks to an advanced dating technique, researchers think that they can finally slap an age on this famous skeleton.
According to their results, Little Foot died 3.67 million years ago, making him an older relative of the equally famous skeleton “Lucy.” If this date holds up, it could mean that Little Foot is an ancestor of the human lineage, which is exciting. The findings have been published in the journal Nature.