[From Nature News]At 4.4 million years, Ethiopian fossil clarifies human–chimp relationships.
In a far-reaching reordering of human evolution, researchers report today the discovery of the oldest hominid skeleton, a fairly complete 4.4-million-year-old female from Ethiopia.
The discovery shows that humans did not evolve from ancient knuckle-walking chimpanzees, as has long been believed. The reports, in Science, illuminate how early phases of humans evolved along a separate lineage from the last common ancestor shared by early hominids and extinct apes.
This find has been in the works for 17 (17!) years, go read all about it at Nature News.
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