1.   Among the fossil hominids examined by the team, the australopithecines have ape-like proportions, and Homo erectus resembles modern humans.

2.   In a telephone interview, Leakey said the diversity in fossil hominids should not be surprising because the ancestry of mammals is usually marked by many different branches.

3.   The brain capacity of fossil hominids can be hard to measure because the skulls are often crushed or incomplete.

4.   We also measured this hole in the skulls of a number of fossil hominids.

5.   Wood said their technique might help settle disputes over the classification of fossil hominids.