
Toumaï: the dawn of walking upright and the mosaic roots of humanity, in a Central African landscape.
Sahelanthropus tchadensis may be closer to humans than chimpanzees despite living 7 million years ago.
Its cranial capacity was only about the size of a chimpanzee’s, yet its brain layout hints at human-like planning.
The foramen magnum position suggests upright head posture, implying bipedalism far earlier than later fossils.
Some analyses imply Sahelanthropus could be a direct human ancestor, not just a side branch.

Sahelanthropus tchadensis may be closer to humans than chimpanzees despite living 7 million years ago.
Its cranial capacity was only about the size of a chimpanzee’s, yet its brain layout hints at human-like planning.
The foramen magnum position suggests upright head posture, implying bipedalism far earlier than later fossils.
Some analyses imply Sahelanthropus could be a direct human ancestor, not just a side branch.