In 1965 Bryan Patterson of Harvard University found the lower end of a left upper arm bone in Kanapoi, southwest of Lake Rudolf in northern Kenya, Africa. It was well preserved and was dated at 4.5 million years.
Patterson and Howells compared the bone to modern humans, chimpanzees and Australopithecines. Their analysis revealed that it was "strikingly close" to modern humans but their conclusion was that is was an Australopithecine. Later, others such as Henry Mc Henry (University of California, Davis) stated "The results show that the Kanapoi specimen, which is 4 to 4.5 million years old, is indistinguishable from modern Homo sapiens ...". (Science 190 (31 October 1975):428)(Lubenow 1992, 53)
As it turns out, for this type of fossil it is relatively easy to discriminate between humans and other primates. It tests out to be human but is classified as an Australopithecine. Howells in 1981 gave the reason "We suggested that it might represent Australopithecus because at that time allocation to Homo seemed preposterous, although it would be the correct one without the time element"[1].
References: [1] William W, Howells, "Homo erectus in human decent: ideas and problems", Homo erectus: Papers in Honor of Davidson Black, Becky A Sigmon and Jerome S. Cybulski, eds., Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1981: 70-71 see also Lubenow 1992, 57. Lubenow 1992, 53Continue with: Early Man: Lucy