{"data":{"id":2620,"lang":"en","title":"Fossil Jaw From Egypt Is North Africa's First Definitive Ape, Challenging the East African Origin Story","summary":"Masripithecus moghraensis, a 17–18-million-year-old ape from Wadi Moghra, suggests North Africa and the Middle East may have been a cradle of the ape lineage.","category":"science","category_label":"Science","published_at":"2026-11-02T03:01:00Z","updated_at":"2026-11-02T03:01:00Z","url":"https://techtools.cz/tools/news/article/2620-fossil-jaw-from-egypt-is-north-africa-s-first-definitive-ape-challenging-the","api_url":"https://techtools.cz/news-api/v1/articles/2620?lang=en","markdown_url":"https://techtools.cz/news-api/v1/articles/2620.md?lang=en","image_url":"https://www.sciencedaily.com/images/1920/masripithecus-moghraensis-reconstruction.webp","word_count":162,"reading_time_minutes":1,"sources":[{"url":"https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/10/261031011638.htm","domain":"sciencedaily.com"},{"url":"http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.adz4102","domain":"dx.doi.org"}],"translation":{"lang":"cs","id":2694,"title":"Čelist z Egypta je první jednoznačnou opicí z Severní Afriky a zpochybňuje východoafrický původ lidoopů","url":"https://techtools.cz/tools/news/clanek/2694-celist-z-egypta-je-prvni-jednoznacnou-opici-z-severni-afriky-a-zpochybnuje","api_url":"https://techtools.cz/news-api/v1/articles/2694?lang=cs"},"content":"Researchers from Mansoura University and the University of Southern California have described Masripithecus moghraensis, a roughly 17–18-million-year-old fossil ape from Wadi Moghra in northern Egypt. It is the first definitive fossil ape found in North Africa. The team led by Hesham Sallam recovered it during expeditions in 2023 and 2024 after about five years of searching.\n\nOnly the lower jaw is preserved, with large canines and premolars and molars with rounded, textured chewing surfaces. This suggests a diet of mainly fruit, but the animal could also process harder foods such as nuts or seeds. The study, published in Science, places it closer to living apes than any known Early Miocene East African ape.\n\nThe finding suggests North Africa and the Middle East may have been an important center for the origin of the common ancestor of all living apes, challenging the long-held East African hypothesis. The researchers do not claim it was a direct ancestor of humans or of living apes."}}