For much of the past century, fossils from East Africa have shaped our understanding of ape evolution. Now, a jawbone found in the Egyptian desert adds a new dimension to that story.
A team from Mansoura University and the University of Southern California has described a new species, Masripithecus moghraensis, in a study that appeared in the journal Science. The fossil of a lower jaw found at the Wadi Moghra site in northern Egypt, the researchers say, is the first clear evidence of an ape fossil in North Africa. Dating to 17 to 18 million years ago, it predates the known dispersal of early apes into Europe and Asia by at least a million years. This may indicate that early ape evolution extended further north than previously thought.
“We spent five years searching for this kind of fossil because, when we look closely at the early ape family tree, it becomes clear that something is missing — and North Africa holds that missing piece,” said Hesham Sallam, paleontologist at Mansoura University and senior author of the study.
The fossil is of a lower jaw with several distinctive features. Masripithecus had large canine and premolar teeth, as well as molars with rounded, textured surfaces and a robust jaw. No other ape from the same time period shows this combination of features. According to the researchers, these traits indicate a flexible diet based mainly on fruit, with some harder foods like nuts and seeds. This adaptability would have been important in northern Africa, with increasing seasonal variation in the climate.
Masripithecus stands out among East African apes of similar age by its anatomy. Its place in the ape family tree is even more significant. By combining fossil features and geological data with DNA from living apes, the team found that Masripithecus appears closer to the lineage that eventually gave rise to modern apes than any previously known Early Miocene species.
“It is well known that the fossil record of hominoids in Africa is geographically very biased,” said David Alba, a paleontologist at the University of Barcelona, in an interview with National Geographic. “It is also known that they were present in Saudi Arabia sometime later, so finding them in northern Africa by this time is important, but not totally unexpected.”
This discovery is important for both geography and anatomy. During the Early Miocene, the African and Arabian plates were moving closer to Asia. At times, lower sea levels reduced marine barriers and opened a corridor through northern Africa and the Middle East. The team’s analysis supports the idea that this region played an important role in the early evolution of living apes. This shifts the focus of ape evolution. East Africa, once seen as the main center of ape origins, may have been more of a peripheral branch.
Erik Seiffert, co-author and paleontologist at the University of Southern California, said the discovery changed his own thinking. “For my entire career, I considered it probable that the common ancestor of all living apes lived in or around East Africa. But this new discovery, and our new and novel analyses of hominoid phylogeny and biogeography, now strongly challenge that idea.”
The genus name Masripithecus combines the Arabic word Masr (for Egypt) with the Greek píthēkos, meaning ‘ape’. The species name is a reference to Wadi Moghra, where the remains were found. The researchers expect that more fossils will be found as fieldwork continues in the region. For now, this discovery shows that important parts of evolutionary history may still be hidden in areas yet to be fully explored.
Austin Burgess is a writer and researcher with a background in sales, marketing, and data analytics. He holds an MBA, a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, and a data analytics certification. His work focuses on breaking scientific developments, with an emphasis on emerging biology, cognitive neuroscience, and archaeological discoveries.
The Great Pyramid of Khufu, the largest and most impressive surviving monument from the ancient world, has long remained an enigma to scholars. One reason is its remarkable resistance to damage from events such as earthquakes, which has helped it endure for thousands of years without significant structural issues.
Now, researchers say they finally understand the ancient technological factors behind the pyramid’s resilience throughout time.
According to new research, the unique frequency at which the pyramid vibrates during earthquakes contrasts significantly with the sands of the Giza plateau on which it rests. This, a new study in Scientific Reports argues, along with the massive structure’s shape and internal design, has all played a part in helping ensure its longevity.
Khufu’s Pyramid, often simply called the Great Pyramid, is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and the sole surviving example. Scholars have maintained a fascination with Giza’s monumental megastructures since antiquity, and debate over the mystery of its construction continues into the present day.
Completed during Egypt’s Old Kingdom (2600–2450 BCE), the Great Pyramid raises a significant question about the structural qualities that have contributed to its longevity. Addressing this aspect of one of the greatest engineering feats of the ancient world, researchers Mohamed ELGabry and colleagues Ayman Hamed, Sakuji Yoshimura, Hesham M. Hussein, Mohamed Maklad, and Asem Salama now say a combination of factors, which include the internal features within the pyramid, all contribute to its success at surviving events that have damaged smaller, more structurally sophisticated monuments in Egypt.
To help them determine the factors that contribute the most significantly to the longevity of Khufu’s Pyramid, the research team began with an ambient noise survey, which involved horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio analysis at more than three dozen locations throughout the ancient structure, which included chambers within the pyramid, construction blocks, and adjacent soil.
Their approach was not only successful but also revealed surprising insights into the pyramid’s construction, the team says.
Among the most significant discoveries, the team says they found that the pyramid “exhibits uniform fundamental frequencies (2.0–2.6 Hz) with an average of ~ 2.3 Hz across all structural elements,” revealing an extraordinary consistency in terms of the structure’s dynamic characteristics.
Also important, they say, is that the frequency band the pyramid’s structural components exhibit contrasts sharply with the surrounding soil. This is important because it limits the amplification of resonance through interactions between the stone assembly of the structure and its surrounding soil, which the team identifies as “a key mechanism protecting the monument during seismic activity.
Finally, although the team identifies an increase in seismic amplification with respect to the structure’s height, they also found that it “diminishes substantially within the pressure-relieving chambers,” which they interpret as an indication of “how their geometry actively reduces seismic response.”
As a final consideration, the team also examined the pyramid’s subsurface foundation, where they calculated the structure’s vulnerability to seismic events.
After determining a very low value, the team concludes that the pyramid’s foundation has an “excellent bearing capacity and minimal earthquake-induced risk,” noting that, in addition to the monument’s resilience over time, its unique structural properties will likely protect it from future damage.
“The low seismic vulnerability index estimated for the foundation soils suggests that any future earthquakes are likely to produce only limited damage to the main pyramid body,” the team reports in their study.
Arguably, the team’s most significant finding is that the pyramid’s ancient builders possessed an exceptionally advanced understanding of the engineering properties behind the stone used in its construction.
“These findings present compelling quantitative evidence that ancient Egyptian architects possessed profound geotechnical understanding, optimizing structure design and site characterization to assure millennial-scale stability against seismic hazards,” the team reports.
The recent study, “Architectural and geotechnical aspects affecting earthquake resilience for the antique Egyptian Khufu pyramid,” appeared in Scientific Reports on May 21, 2026.
Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. A longtime reporter on science, defense, and technology with a focus on space and astronomy, he can be reached at micah@thedebrief.org. Follow him on X @MicahHanks, and at micahhanks.com.
The mystery is real. Egypt’s pyramids are more than 4,500 years old, the Great Pyramid still feels impossible to many...
The post The Missing Blueprints of the Pyramids appeared first on Curiosmos.
For more than four and a half millennia, the Khufu Pyramid has stood on the Giza plateau, enduring dozens of earthquakes without serious structural damage.
The post Great Pyramid of Giza’s Design Naturally Shields It from Earthquakes, Archaeologists Say appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.
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