A series of five papers published in the Journal Science on September 8, 2011, details the analysis of two Australopithecus sediba fossils discovered in 2010. The research is the results of the efforts of over 50 scientists working in an open access format.
The results indicate that Australopithecus sedibalived 1.977 to 1.98 million years. The fossils are the most complete find to date with complete hands (lacking the tips of finger), complete pelvis, and ankles.
The remains are of a female (probably 20 to 30 years old) and a male child (probably 8 to 13 years of age).
The location of the remains and the distribution of the bones indicate both animals died at about the same time and probably from a natural cave disaster that helped to preserve their skeletons. The female shows characteristic bone patterns that indicate she had given birth. Postulation about a mother son relationship cannot be made at this point because DNA is not available for analysis.
The hands are the most articulated and "human like" of any other early hominin. This is not an indication that the animal used tools. The brain size is small compared to present day humans and lacks the prefrontal development that gives humans their characteristics. The shape of the brain is determined from the interior of the skull because the fetal skull is formed in part by the beating of the fetal heart.
All indications are this is the most complete and most well documented forbear to Homo sapiens.
The research was reviewed in two articles (here and here) at the Eureka Alert web site on September 8, 2011.
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