Fossil of last great ape ancestor found

Paleontologiosts from the Miguel Crusafont Institute of Paleontology and the Diputacisn de Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain have found a fossil of a new ape species called Pierolapithecus catalaunicus, or its close relative that might have been the last common ancestor to all living great apes, including humans.

The team led by Salvador Moy-Sol said that Pierolapithecus had a stiff lower spine and other special adaptations for climbing, which along with the fossil's age of about 13 million years, suggest that this species was probably close to the last great ape ancestor.