Scientists Found Our Oldest Ancestor — In Wyoming, North America!

By Discovery Future

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For decades, scientists believed the earliest ancestors of modern primates originated in Asia or Africa. But a remarkable fossil discovery from Wyoming is challenging that assumption and raising a provocative question: What if one of the earliest chapters of our evolutionary story began in North America? Fifty-six million years ago, during a period of extreme global warming known as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), a tiny primate called Teilhardina lived in the forests that once covered what is now Wyoming. By studying newly discovered fossils, researchers found evidence suggesting that this ancient primate may be older than its Asian and European relatives, potentially placing North America at the center of one of the most important events in primate evolution. In this documentary, we explore the world of Teilhardina, the dramatic climate changes of the PETM, the fossil evidence uncovered in Wyoming's Bighorn Basin, and how a few tiny teeth could reshape our understandi