Toumai, the oldest relative of the human raceDiscoveries relating to the human lineage are extremely exciting and often confusing. This is the case with the recent discovery of what appears to be the oldest member of the human family. A skull discovered in northern Chad in 2001 is believed to be the oldest human skull ever discovered. Nicknamed Toumaï, and discovered by Michel Brunet and his paleontology team, this new category of humans received the scientific name of Sahelanthropus tchaensis. What makes this skull so definitive is the fact that it dates back approximately 6 to 7 million years in Earth's history (Whitfield 2002). Since the discovery, anthropologists and paleontologists have disputed Toumai's hominid status (Evans 2002), but many, notably those involved in the skull's discovery, still believe it to be the race's oldest relative. human that we know today. The kind of attention generated by the discovery of a fossil that could challenge pre-existing notions about the human lineage is enormous. When the results were first published in the scientific journals 'Nature' and 'Science', the news spread like wildfire and every news source, from the ABC to the BBC, covered the story. A discovery of this magnitude is very significant given that it may change thinking about the beginnings of the human lineage and cause an uproar in the scientific community regarding the way human evolution is viewed. BBC News was one of the sources covering this story when the discovery was made. Their main article stated: "Scientists say this is the most important discovery in the search for the origins of humanity since the first 'ape-man' Australopithecine remains were discovered in mid-Africa. of the article.... ..s. Toumaï, the ancestor of humans. http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0%402-3328,36-331868,0.htmlEvans, Mark., 2002, Ancient skull species in dispute. Philadelphia Investigator. http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/inquirer/living/science/4249114.htmGibbons, Ann., 2002, A scientist in search of the origin of our species. Science, v. 298. http://rcp.missouri.edu/carolward/pdfs/quotebrunetpiece.pdf Meek, James., 2002, Ape or Man? Toumai, hailed as our oldest ancestor, fuels ancient scientific rivalries. Guardian News, http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,808955,00.htmlNoble, Ivan., 2002, Amazing skull discovered in Africa. BBC News, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2118055.stmWhitfield, John., 2002, Oldest member of the human family found. Nature, Science Update, http://www.nature.com/nsu/020708/020708-12.html