Enamel hypoplasia in a pliocene hominid from Chad.

Abel is the first Australopithecine known west of the East African Rift Valley. The fossil finds include a perisymphyseal fragment of an adult mandible with well-preserved crowns of the right I2-P4 and the left C-P4. Abel's dentition displays many enamel defects, which are described in detail for each tooth.

A new hominid from the Upper Miocene of Chad, Central Africa.

The search for the earliest fossil evidence of the human lineage has been concentrated in East Africa. Here we report the discovery of six hominid specimens from Chad, central Africa, 2,500 km from the East African Rift Valley. The fossils include a nearly complete cranium and fragmentary lower jaws.