December 19, 2012 Share Email Print Kate Wong is an editor and
writer at Scientific American covering paleontology, archaeology
and life sciences. Follow on Twitter PALEO DIET: Analyses of
tartar on the teeth of Australopithecus sediba show that this
early human species ate bark and other unexpected foods. Image:
Kate Wong Recent years have brought considerable riches for
those of us interested in human evolution and 2012 proved no
exception. New fossils, archaeological finds and genetic
analyses yielded thrilling insights into the shape of the family
tree, the diets of our ancient predecessors, the origins of art
and advanced weaponry, the interactions between early Homo
sapiens and other human species, and other facets of our
ancestors’ lives. The list below highlights the discoveries that
most captivated me in a year of revelations about the way we
were. Did I miss your favorite? Let me know in the comments. - A
3.4 million-year-old fossil foot suggests a second lineage of
hominins (creatures more closely