For Immediate Release Contact: Greg Borzo (312) 665-7106 gborzo@fieldmuseum.org Scientist challenges interpretation of new find, the oldest primate fossil ever discovered Find opens debate about whether man’s earliest ancestors came from Asia and whether they were diurnal or nocturnal CHICAGO—A skull and jawbones recently found in China is the oldest well-preserved primate fossil ever discovered – as well as the best evidence of the presence of early primates in Asia. But the fossil raises the tantalizing possibility that remote human ancestors may have originated in Asia and stirs up debate about the nature of early primates. In the words of Robert D. Martin, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Chicago’s Field Museum, “It was once thought that primates originated in North America because that’s where the earliest fossils were found initially; but we should be more open-minded. We still do not know the area of origin of the primate lineage that eventually led to humans, and this new find firmly brings Asia into the picture.” Xijun Ni and colleagues describe the fossil as Teilhardina asiatica, a new species of a genus first recognized from Belgium, in the Jan. 1, 2004, issue of Nature. At 28 grams, T. asiatica is smaller than any modern primate, and its size and sharp tooth cusps indicate that it was an insect-eater. Continue