manipuroid

Manipuroid is a term used in paleontology and anthropology to describe a hypothetical ancestral form of the genus Homo, which includes modern humans. This concept emerged from early evolutionary theories attempting to trace the lineage of humans back to ape-like ancestors. The term "manipuro" itself is derived from the Latin word "manipulus," meaning a handful or bundle, possibly referring to the idea of a collection of traits leading to humanity.

The idea of a manipuroid ancestor was more prevalent in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, before more extensive fossil evidence became available. Scientists at the time were piecing together human evolution with limited data, and the manipuroid served as a placeholder for what they believed an intermediate species might have looked like. It was imagined to possess a mosaic of ape-like and human-like characteristics, bridging the gap between primates and early hominins.

However, with the discovery of numerous hominin fossils such as Australopithecus, Homo habilis, and Homo erectus, the concept of a singular "manipuroid" stage has largely been superseded by a more nuanced understanding of human evolution. Current scientific consensus favors a branching evolutionary tree with multiple hominin species existing and coexisting, rather than a direct linear progression through a generalized ancestral form like the manipuroid. Therefore, manipuroid is now considered an outdated or speculative concept in the study of human origins.