the world ' s oldest known child has been recovered in northeast asia in an area known commonly as the cradle of humanity . the 3 . 3 - million - year - older fossilized toddler was uncovered in northern ethiopia ' s badlands along the great rift valley ( map of ethiopia ) . the skeleton , attached to the earliest human form sapiens afarensis , is renowned for its time and accuracy , even for a land spectacularly wealthy in fossils of our ancient ancestors , experts agree . the new discovered april actually trump the superstar fossil of the same species : " rose , " a 3 . 2 - million - year - old adult man discovered nearby in 1974 that reshaped theories of human evolution . ( related : " this discover is losing link in human evolution , scientists ? " [ april 2006 ] . ) .
Lucy fossils have been discovered 3.3 million years ago.