Feast your eyes on what a group of scientists call the Holy Grail of human evolution.
A team of researchers Tuesday unveiled an almost perfectly intact fossil of a 47 million-year-old primate they say represents the long-sought missing link between humans and apes.
Officially known as Darwinius masillae, the fossil of the lemur-like creature dubbed Ida shows it had opposable thumbs like humans and fingernails instead of claws.
Scientists say the cat-sized animal's hind legs offer evidence of evolutionary changes that led to primates standing upright - a breakthrough that could finally confirm Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.
"This specimen is like finding the Lost Ark for archeologists," lead scientist Jorn Hurum said at a ceremony at the American Museum of Natural History.
"It is the scientific equivalent of the Holy Grail. This fossil will probably be the one that will be pictured in all textbooks for the next 100 years."
This is why I ALWAYS choose facts over faith. Faith locks me in a box while facts hold the key to my release.
Can I just mention how much I LOVE that they named this little guy Darwinius masillae?
I would almost like to allow myself to believe in an afterlife so that I could imagine Charles Darwin looking down form heaven and smiling at how well his theories are holding up.
Betcha it won't be in any Texas textbooks....or any of those used by homeschoolers, or any used by religious charter schools.
ReplyDeleteIt IS cool.
One more time, generalizing a-hole. Many homeschoolers do so for ACADEMIC reasons.
DeleteNow are they sure this little guy isn't just a few hundred years old---ya know 'cause the delusional unchristian "churchians" say the planet is only six thousand years old?
ReplyDeleteAmazing find. I love science and real life too.
"ida" and the controversies that followed is a pretty old story -the article you linked is from 2 years ago.....
ReplyDeletebut, if you want all the details (there was kind of a BIG shit storm about this one, mostly about science reporting, the popular press, the term "missing link", creationists, etc.) look here:
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula?s=Darwinius+
Here is the link to the original paper -
Deletehttp://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0005723
I remember being annoyed at the hype back in 2009, particularly when the Guardian called the fossil the eighth wonder of the world. I know many people just don't understand evolution, but the way it is talked about by the media adds to the confusion, imo.
In this case, however, it seems that the scientists themselves may have been directly responsible for the *marketing.*
newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2010/03/confirmed-fossil-ida-is-not-a.html
oops, i meant 3 years ago......
ReplyDeleteEwww,
ReplyDeleteIt had finger nails??
Yuck!
College textbooks maybe, but not public school texts. Most of those are "selected" by Texas, so it might take 100 years to even be acknowledged.
ReplyDeleteIs it my imagination or does that little critter have Bristols chin?
ReplyDeletesnicker...
DeleteWhy do idiots persist in using the phrase "missing link"? It's a relic of the 19th century notion that Alley Oop -- or something like him -- was half-ape, half-human. Or that the Wild Man of Borneo was somehow the ancestor of modern humans. It's a clear indication that the author didn't know squat about evolution or paleontology.
ReplyDeleteAmen and thank you, Elmo.
DeleteWhy did some monkeys become humans and all the other monkeys remain just monkeys??
ReplyDeleteWhy did some fish become piranhas, while others became sunfish, catfish, dogfish, lungfish, angelfish, hatchetfish, mosquitofish, Siamese fighting fish - or any of the more than 28,000 species of fishes?
DeleteHabitat, adaptation, random genetic mutation.
Just goes to show you... GOD is the ultimate bad-ass scientist. HE invented evolution! (and, apparently, Donald Trump, although we still can't figure out why HE would do that...)
ReplyDeleteDonald Trump is proof that if there is a god she has a sense of humor, created most humans in her image, and knew that they too, would need something to laugh at.
DeleteLooks like Chuck Heath. Large nose, receding chin, slanting forehead, small head, barrell chest, beer belly, small hips, claw hands that look like Sarah's. Why are they fighting it so much. Plain as the face on your head. Pfft Did they find it in Idaho?
ReplyDeleteThe problem is that even the scientists don't agree on these facts. Only some made the missing link claim. Many others wouldn't go near it. Even some of the authors of the paper made sure to make comment :
ReplyDeleteFrom wiki: *** The paper included a statement that the authors were not advocating the possibility that the species could be ancestral to later anthropoid primates; Professor John Fleagle, of Stony Brook University in New York state, asserted that he was one of the anonymous scientific reviewers of the paper and that he had explicitly requested before publication that the authors tone down their original claims that the fossil was on the human evolutionary line.[33]***
The original claims of Darwinius masillae as a "missing link" to modern primates was debunked by March, 2010; the specimen appears to represent a distinct (and extinct) family of early primates. This doesn't diminish the importance of the fossil in the larger paleontological picture, however.
ReplyDelete"Little fellow?" Your patriarchy is showing Gryphen! If it is "Ida" that should be "little GAL."
ReplyDeleteI have a Presidential Award-winning science teacher friend who is teaching biology in Kansas. She is getting so much "flack" because she has to teach evolution AND climate change! Makes me sad that there is pressure from the community for her to teach crap-science...and of course we know this isn't right.
ReplyDeleteWhere is this heading?
Yeah, but I'll bet God PUT IT THERE!
ReplyDeleteI do wish people would stop thinking humans are descended from monkeys. The fact is that both humans and monkeys are descended from common earlier ancestors - so we are cousins to monkeys, not children of monkeys. The creationists love to claim that those of us who accept evolution are saying we are the children of monkeys, when that's not what we're saying at all. I do wish evolutionary scientists would be more clear about that point.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I also have a strong faith in God. I guess being Catholic though gave me an edge, as even the modern Popes have said that evolutionary theory is something that's perfectly acceptable for Catholics to believe in, acceptable for Catholic schools to teach, and all around acceptable in general. Of course we Catholics also aren't forced to believe the Bible is the literal word of God either; even Catholics see the Bible as a bunch of stories and analogies that don't necessarily apply to modern life.
Yes, Wolfbitch. Good comment.
ReplyDelete"Common ancestor" is the point, not "missing link".
Dang, Gryphen. I've posted several youtube videos, even one about the secret history of dinosaurs. Dragons were written about in the Bible and throughout history, even dragon legends. The word dinosaur showed up in the 1800s, like that evolution theory. I also posted a couple of videos of geologists about rocks and the rock line when life appeared. One of the videos I posted even convinced a seasoned scientist and atheist to change his thinking. So, I had high hopes. Anyway, here's the scientist, Professor Flew, in his own words.
ReplyDeleteWorld's Most Famous Atheist Accepts Existence of God because of Science
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJoOhbf3_Ts
Just look at all of the birds in the sky. All cats are meat-eaters, but not all birds. Each species so unique; I see the work of a Master Artist and a Master Scientist; I see God's creation. The Creator was acknowledged three times in the Declaration of Independence. And I am thankful to God that I was born in a country where the founding fathers established freedom of religion giving no respect to religion that could force any belief upon me. Evolution and creation are like religious philosophies. Anyway, don't believe any blue lights in the skies or voices, okay! The force of a new government and a new religion has been talked about for a long time and maybe closer than you think.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvOIJRUtzWg&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL8DC1590E61077CD9
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjMd11ZEgwY&feature=autoplay&list=PL8DC1590E61077CD9&playnext=2
No, Dude/Dudette.... Seriously, just... no.
DeleteAhhh... The FACTS will set you free......
ReplyDeleteAND, the right-wing neo-nutbags go into un-controllable seizures...
Thanks for the info. Wonder if Ida got manicures or painted her nails in polka dots? She does bear a striking resemblance to Baldy, without the wig.
ReplyDeleteAnd I also feel like indulging myself in the fantasy of Charles Darwin smiling from up yonder, realizing his theory stands the test of time.
Even his common ancesors must feel pride.
""This specimen is like finding the Lost Ark for archeologists," lead scientist Jorn Hurum said at a ceremony at the American Museum of Natural History. "
ReplyDeleteWait. The Lost Ark is in a huge government warehouse in a packing crate. I saw a documentary a long time ago...