Story highlights Researchers say they have found teeth and jawbones belonging to a new species of human ancestor

The remains, dating back 3.3 million to 3.5 million years, were found in Ethiopia's Afar desert region

(CNN) Meet Australopithecus deyiremeda, a newly discovered species of hominin that sheds light on our earliest ancestors, scientists say.

In a study published in the journal Nature , the researchers say their discovery in Ethiopia of teeth and jawbones dating back between 3.3 million and 3.5 million years supports the idea that several hominin species coexisted during this period.

The remains show clear similarities to "Lucy," the famous 3.2 million-year-old remains of the species Australopithecus afarensis, found in 1974.

But, the researchers say, there are sufficient differences in the jaw architecture and size and shape of the teeth to mean that this is a new species, indicating that our ancestry is more complicated than previously thought.

The remains were found in the Woranso-Mille area in the deserts of Ethiopia's central Afar region, only 22 miles from the site where Lucy was discovered.

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