The hominid partial skeleton is nicknamed Kadanuumuu, which translates as "big man" in the Afar language of the Ethiopian Afar region, where he was found. At nearly 5 feet 5 inches tall, he towered ...
For three days a cloud of billowing ash dimmed the sun as the region's largest volcano, Erta Ale—"smoking mountain" in the Afar language—erupted. What set off these startling events?