By Veronica Mrema - South Africa
Life on Earth is estimated to have existed for more than 3.6 billion years, according to extensive scientific research. Our planet carries a history unlike any other deep, complex, and astonishing.
Compelling scientific evidence shows that some of the oldest rocks on Earth are found in eastern Australia, with others located north of Perth.
Additional ancient rock formations exist in southern Africa, near Kruger National Park, specifically in an area known as Barberton.
Scientists explain that these regions preserve some of the earliest evidence of ancient life, including traces of early plants, animals, and even tools once used by early human ancestors.
These findings demonstrate the vast timeline of life on Earth, spanning over 3.6 billion years to the present day.
At the heart of this research is the University of the Witwatersrand (WITS) in South Africa, one of Africa’s oldest and most respected academic institutions.
Here, decades of intensive research have focused on understanding the origins of life and humanity a mission that continues today.
M24 TANZANIA MEDIA visited WITS University, gaining rare access to its scientific archives.
Inside its laboratories and specialized museums lie ancient skulls, fossilized bones, and detailed scientific records, all of which form the foundation of this article.
On December 5, 2025, we entered a restricted heritage and laboratory space part museum, part research facility during a special educational visit organized as part of the 13th World Conference of Science Journalists (WCSJ 2025).
For the first time in history, WCSJ brought together science journalists from over 80 countries, underscoring the global importance of scientific storytelling.
WITS has invested heavily in this work, particularly through its world-renowned Evolutionary Studies Institute, one of the most important centers globally for studying the history of life and human evolution.
The institute houses extraordinary collections of ancient plants and animals, but one of its most critical research areas is the evolution of hominids.
This article captures the core explanations provided by the professor Bernard Zipfel who guided us through this journey. Follow closely.
UNDERSTANDING HOMINIDS
At this point, dear reader, you may ask: What is a hominid?
A hominid is an early human-like creature that walked on two legs and no longer lived in trees. It possessed physical traits closely resembling both modern apes and modern humans.
According to our host professor, hominids existed approximately 15 million years ago.
From this common ancestor, multiple evolutionary branches emerged, eventually giving rise to modern apes and modern humans.
Both apes and humans are products of this long evolutionary process.
Scientific studies indicate that the oldest known hominid fossil, dating back approximately 7 million years, was discovered in Chad, West Africa.
Additional early hominid remains have been found across Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, and southern Africa.
The oldest hominid fossil displayed at WITS University is approximately 3.5 million years old a relatively small number when compared to the 3.6 billion-year history of life on Earth.
MODERN HUMANS
Within WITS University lies an Origin Center, which narrates the story of modern humans a subject that will be explored in a future article.
Modern humans (Homo sapiens) have existed on Earth for only about 300,000 years.
Both hominids and modern humans originated in Africa. From there, humans migrated into Asia, then Europe.
Due to their geographical isolation, Australia and the Americas were reached much later approximately 40,000 years ago.
Only modern humans achieved this global spread. Earlier hominids never extended beyond Africa, Asia, and Europe, with the exception of related species such as Neanderthals.
THE ANCIENT MURDER MYSTERY
One of the most compelling discoveries is the Taung Child, scientifically known as Australopithecus africanus. This fossil dates back approximately 2.5 million years.
The skull is preserved at WITS University. The individual was a five-year-old child and was the only hominid ever found at Taung, raising early scientific questions.
For decades, the cause of death remained a mystery. Scientific analysis eventually revealed that the Taung Child was killed by an eagle.
Researchers Professor Lieberger and Professor Ron Clarke examined impact marks behind the eye sockets and small puncture marks on the skull.
The breakthrough came when Professor Lee Berger studied modern primates killed by crowned eagles. The patterns matched perfectly.
HOW WAS THE SECRET SOLVED?
Eagles kill to access the brain, which is rich in protein. CT scans and detailed bone analysis revealed talon puncture holes at the back of the skull and distinctive marks on the facial bones.
At the time of discovery, scientists resisted accepting the Taung Child as human-related for several reasons: The sample was a child, The brain size was small and Strong political and colonial biases.
During that era, colonial thinking insisted that humans must have originated in Europe or Asia. African origins were dismissed largely due to racial prejudice.
It took nearly 25 years for the global scientific community to accept the evidence. Today, there is no doubt that humanity originated in Africa.
EAST AFRICA AND BEYOND
Further compelling evidence includes the discovery of Australopithecus afarensis the first specimen found in East Africa.
Southern Africa yielded Paranthropus robustus, while additional remains of Australopithecus africanus further strengthened Africa’s role in human evolution.
Molecular evidence proteins and genetics now confirms that all modern humans trace their origins to Africa.
While many fossils are found in eastern and southern Africa, scientists emphasize that this does not mean all early humans lived only there. These regions simply preserved fossils better.
This is why they are referred to as the “Cradle of Humankind.”
LITTLE FOOT AND HOMO NALEDI
Among the most remarkable discoveries is Australopithecus prometheus, famously known as Little Foot. This hominid lived approximately 3.6 million years ago.
Initially, only foot bones were discovered by Professor Ron Clarke. After 21 years, a nearly complete skeleton was recovered from the Sterkfontein caves, near Johannesburg.
Little Foot is the most complete Australopithecus skeleton ever found and remains under active scientific study.
Another specimen, discovered in 2008 at Malapa, dates between 2.6 and 1.5 million years. It shows characteristics linking Australopithecus more closely to the genus Homo.
The specimen includes an 11-year-old boy and an adult female, with newly discovered fragments still being added and analyzed.
In 2013, scientists discovered Homo naledi over 3,000 fossil samples found in a narrow cave chamber approximately 30 meters underground.
Homo naledi is particularly fascinating because it lived around 240,000 years ago, at a time when modern humans already existed.
AFRICA & HUMAN HISTORY
Human history is extraordinary rich with scientific evidence and profound mysteries.
From hominids dating back 7 million years to modern humans at 300,000 years, the journey reveals the evolution of intelligence, physical form, and survival strategies.
Africa is not only where humanity began it is the foundation of who we are today.
From Barberton, Taung, Sterkfontein, and Malapa to Homo naledi, Africa teaches us that understanding our past is essential to understanding ourselves.
This journey from a child’s eyes pierced by an eagle, to Little Foot, to Homo naledi reminds us that human history is both fragile and powerful, written in stone, bone, and time.
Scientific and historical evidence continues to affirm that the story of humanity is deep, African, and endlessly fascinating.
Chapisha Maoni