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KNM-ER 1804 is a mandible fragment attributed to Paranthropus boisei. It was recovered from Area 104 of Koobi Fora. The specimen was stratigraphically located at 4m below the A2 marker and is dated to ~1.78 Ma [1][2][3].

KNM-ER 810 A is a left mandible fragment with symphysis classified as that of a Paranthropus boisei. It was found in Area 104 of Koobi Fora [1][2]. It was stratigraphically located 4m below the A2 marker in KBS member and is dated to ~1.78 Ma [3][4].

KNM-ER 810B is a lower left third molar classified as that of a Paranthropus boisei. It was found in Area 104 of Koobi Fora [1][2]. It was stratigraphically located 4m below the A2 marker in KBS member and is dated to ~1.78 Ma [3][4].

KNM-ER 812 is a mandible fragment attributed to a juvenile Paranthropus boisei. The heavily eroded fragment retains some parts of the retained roots of the deciduous canine and first and second deciduous molars remain preserved occlusally, all the crowns of these teeth have been lost [1][2].  It has a stratigraphical position of 4m beneath the base of A2 in Area 104 of Koobi Fora and is dated to ~1.78 Ma [3].

KNM-ER 814A is a left frontal fragment of the cranium of a Paranthropus boisei. It was found in Area 104 of Koobi Fora [1][2]. It was stratigraphically located 4m below the A2 marker in KBS member and is dated to ~1.78 Ma [3][4]. 

Homo habilis ("handy man") is an extinct species of archaic human from the Early Pleistocene of East and South Africa about 2.31 million years ago to 1.65 million years ago. Homo habilis was highly contested when first proposed, with many researchers recommending it be synonymised with Australopithecus africanus, the only other early hominin known at the time, but Homo habilis received more recognition as time went on and more relevant discoveries were made. By the 1980s, Homo habilis was proposed to have been a human ancestor, directly evolving into Homo erectus which directly led to modern humans. This viewpoint is now debated. Several specimens with insecure species identification were assigned to H. habilis, leading to arguments for splitting, namely into "H. rudolfensis" and "H. gautengensis" of which only the former has received wide support.

Like contemporary Homo, Homo habilis brain size generally varied from 500–900 cm3 (31–55 cu in). The body proportions of Homo habilis are only known from two highly fragmentary skeletons, and is based largely on assuming a similar anatomy to the earlier australopithecines. Because of this, it has also been proposed Homo habilis be moved to the genus Australopithecus as Australopithecus habilis. However, the interpretation of Homo habilis as a small-statured human with inefficient long distance travel capabilities has been challenged. The presumed female specimen OH 62 is traditionally interpreted as having been 100–120 cm (3 ft 3 in – 3 ft 11 in) in height and 20–37 kg (44–82 lb) in weight assuming australopithecine-like proportions, but assuming humanlike proportions she would have been about 148 cm (4 ft 10 in) and 35 kg (77 lb). Nonetheless, Homo habilis may have been at least partially arboreal like what is postulated for australopithecines. Early hominins are typically reconstructed as having thick hair and marked sexual dimorphism with males much larger than females, though relative male and female size is not definitively known.

Lesser apes

The Dmanisi site in Georgia is famous for producing the first evidence of hominin dispersal outside of Africa [1][2]. It is well known for its diverse fauna, early human remains, and stone artefacts. Occupation of the site dates to shortly after 1.85 million years ago until 1.77 million years ago [3].

The Dmanisi Skulls 1 to 5 are highly significant within the study of early hominin migrations out of Africa. Though their precise classification is controversial and highly debated [4], having five skulls from one site provides an unprecedented opportunity to study variation in what was presumably a single population [5].

Area 104 collection area in the Koobi Fora region has contributed great evidence for hominin evolution by providing fossil evidence from various taxa such as Homo ergaster and  Paranthropus boisei [1][2].

The limestone cave of Liang Bua is located on the Indonesian island of Flores. Liang Bua 1 (LB1), a nearly complete skull and several postcranial remains of a young adult female, became the holotype for the controversial Homo floresiensis, an extinct hominin notable for its small cranium, reflecting a tiny brain, and short stature with disproportionate limbs, was discovered at this site [1].

Sangiran is a UNESCO World Heritage site located in Central Java, Indonesia. It is one of the key sites for the understanding of human evolution that illustrates the development of Homo sapiens sapiens, over two million years from the Lower Pleistocene to the present through understanding fossils and artefactual material that it has produced. It became famous after the discovery of Homo erectus remains and associated stone artifacts (Sangiran flake industry) in the 1930s. It also yields important archaeological occupation floors dating back to the Lower Pleistocene [1].

Hadar is a famous palaeoanthropological site in Ethiopia’s Afar Region. It is the most prolific hominin site in the Lower Valley of the Awash, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is best known for the discovery of “Lucy”, a 3.2 million-year-old partial skeleton of a female Australopithecus afarensis found by Donald Johanson in 1974 [1][2][3][4][5].

The Pleistocene, often referred to as the Ice Age, is the geological epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations1.