In 1925, a groundbreaking fossil discovery by Australian palaeoanthropologist Raymond Dart in South Africa revealed the existence of Australopithecus africanus, challenging the perspectives on human origins. Dart’s findings of a humanlike skull with an upright walking pattern differed from previous beliefs about human evolution. Despite initial skepticism, further discoveries by Robert Broom and Louis Leakey’s family continued to shift the focus of human-origins research to Africa. To commemorate this journey, Nature published two collections reflecting on 100 years of Australopithecus research, acknowledging the contributions of African scholars and researchers who have shaped our evolving understanding of human origins.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00282-1