{
  "id": 11036030,
  "title": "Newly Discovered <em>Homo Erectus</em> Fossil Reveals a Time When Our Ancestors Were Outnumbered in South Africa 10 to 1",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/newly-discovered-em-homo-erectus-em-fossil-reveals-a-time-when-our",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-30T21:45:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Discover Magazine",
    "slug": "discover-magazine",
    "url": "https://www.discovermagazine.com/newly-discovered-homo-erectus-fossil-reveals-a-time-when-our-ancestors-were-outnumbered-in-south-africa-10-to-1-49751"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Two human relatives roamed a patch of South Africa outside Johannesburg two million years ago. One species, Paranthropus robustus, had oversized molars and powerful chewing muscles. The other, Homo erectus, was a less common branch on the ancestral tree that would eventually lead to us. Despite being outnumbered by a factor of at least 10 to 1 at a fossil site named Drimolen, Homo erectus still managed to survive in the region. This new discovery adds to the evidence that Homo erectus was indeed the more successful of the two species during that time.",
  "summary": "Learn how South African fossils reveal a time when our ancestors were the less common human relatives.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Phys.org",
        "title": "Adult fossil strengthens evidence for Homo erectus in southern Africa 2 million years ago",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/adult-fossil-strengthens-evidence-for-homo-erectus-in-southern-africa",
        "published": "2026-09-30T18:00:02.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}