That’s 3.3 million years old. 

In 2000, archeologists found the most complete fossil yet of an ancient infant, unearthed from sandstone in the Dikika region of Ethiopia. With a complete torso, fingers and a foot, it’s more complete even than Lucy, the 3.2-million-year-old adult found in 1974.

Still there? I promise to make this worth your time.

Imagine a baby that was human from the waist down, but with an ape-like upper body. Unlike chimp babies that cling to their mothers with strong hands and toes, the Dikika baby probably had to be carried. With her arms occupied (and no Baby Bjorn to resort to), the mother probably depended on a mate or group for food, which may mean the birth of society as we know it today. What’s more, some experts speculate that human speech originated around this time from “motherese,” the soothing sounds a mother makes when she’s setting baby down. Fascinating stuff.

Read the article in this month’s National Geographic. There’s also a slightly creepy feature on the web site where you can click and drag the Dikika baby’s head to rotate it….

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