The "Missing Link" Found?

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2005-04-06 01:40pm

Reuters wrote:
Evidence Shows Skull Is of Earliest Human - Study
Wed Apr 6, 2005 01:03 PM ET

By Patricia Reaney

LONDON (Reuters) - New evidence shows a 7 million year-old skull unearthed in Chad is the earliest member of the human family, scientists said Wednesday.

Controversy has surrounded the skull, dubbed "Toumai," since its discovery was first reported in 2002 by a team led by Michel Brunet of the University of Poitiers in France.

It was hailed as arguably the most important fossil discovery in living memory because it was thought to be an ancient ancestor of modern humans, although some scientists argued it was a fossil of a female ape.

But newly found remains of tooth and jaw fragments and a computer reconstruction of the skull, reported in the science journal Nature, suggest Toumai was more human than ape.

"Toumai is not a chimp. Toumai is not a gorilla," Brunet told Reuters. "It is perfectly clear Toumai is a hominid."

The first reliable records of hominids, members of the human family distinct from chimpanzees and other apes, suggest they did not appear until about 5 million years ago.

Brunet said Toumai probably lived not long after the two lineages split.

BIPEDALISM

He and his team also believe the skull reconstruction suggests that Toumai, the name given to children in Chad born close to the dry season, might have been able to walk upright, which would mean bipedalism was present in the earliest known hominids.

Bipedalism is a crucial difference between apes and humans.

"The computer reconstruction shows the original anatomy of this specimen. In the anatomy you can read that this creature was a hominid but it was probably also bipedal," said Marcia Ponce de Leon, of the University of Zurich-Irchel, in Switzerland who worked on the research.

When the discovery of the skull was first reported, its unusual mixture of primitive and human-like features prompted scientists to believe it was the earliest member of the human family ever found which could shed new light on human evolution.

But some scientists doubted its human links because they thought the skull was too squashed to draw any conclusions. They also said its short face, small canine teeth and other characteristics were not evidence it was a direct ancestor of humans.

In a separate report in the journal, Brunet, Ponce de Leon and their colleagues said newly found dental and jaw fossils from the same time as Toumai also show differences between it and African apes.

So, I wonder if this is finally an end to the missing link between ape and man. It'd be nice if we had a full skeleton, but paleobiologists are never that lucky.

Superman · Post by **Superman** » 2005-04-06 02:19pm

Evolution does not work through "links," it works through populations. Thus, the whole idea of a missing link is one big straw man. Wouldn't Homo habilis, Homo erectus, Homo ergaster, Australopithecus all be considered "links?"

Superman · Post by **Superman** » 2005-04-06 02:20pm

Oh, and Admiral, if you want to see an almost complete skeleton, check out "Turkana Boy."

http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/homs/15000.html

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2005-04-06 02:43pm

Superman wrote:Evolution does not work through "links," it works through populations. Thus, the whole idea of a missing link is one big straw man. Wouldn't Homo habilis, Homo erectus, Homo ergaster, Australopithecus all be considered "links?"

The "link" is the closest relative we have to apes without actually being one, somewhat less accurate than the average layman may think the term, but a link nonetheless. The term is used by my evolutionary theory professors, so it has merit.

As for the complete skeleton, I meant of this new discovery, not of a previous one. I doubt there will be much around to form a true skeleton reconstruction without a lucky find.

Darth Servo · Post by **Darth Servo** » 2005-04-06 02:52pm

Nice find. The idiots will still say its just a standard ape or human though with some misshaped features.

Superman · Post by **Superman** » 2005-04-06 02:59pm

No, it's the work of the devil! He put all of these fossils here to decieve us!

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2005-04-06 03:01pm

I wish I could still post on the FreeJesus.net forums. This sort of find usually gets them into the Creationism mood quite easily.

Superman · Post by **Superman** » 2005-04-06 03:03pm

Got yourself banned, did ya?

Darth Servo · Post by **Darth Servo** » 2005-04-06 03:39pm

Superman wrote:Got yourself banned, did ya?

What do you expect for an "evilutionist" on a fundie board? He is a HERETIC!!!!!

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2005-04-06 03:47pm

Yeah, I did. Twice.

You've got to appreciate that we don't outright ban Creationists without some real flame war starting. But post anything that disputes Creationism there or call an IDeist a liar, and that's your lot. You're outta there.

Funny how threatened they must feel.

wolveraptor · Post by **wolveraptor** » 2005-04-06 08:25pm

the actual definition of "the missing link" is supposedly the ancestor to both modern-day chimp and human lines. This creature was the creature that split off into modern chimps and modern humans. It links the 2 families.

thus, it is incredibly unlikely to find that exact species, but this one comes close, coming not far after the split, as they said.

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2005-04-06 11:36pm

"But where are all the other steps?!"

Tasoth · Post by **Tasoth** » 2005-04-06 11:39pm

DPDarkPrimus wrote:"But where are all the other steps?!"

"Come 'ere and I'll throw you down 'em."

darthnidankendo · Post by **darthnidankendo** » 2005-04-07 11:38am

Superman wrote:No, it's the work of the devil! He put all of these fossils here to decieve us!

That funny! LOL!

wolveraptor · Post by **wolveraptor** » 2005-04-07 02:01pm

The Devil argument actually works. The Devil could have decieved us all with his trickery.

"But why introduce the extra term?" you may say. Because there is evidence of him.

4 words: Michael and Janet Jackson.

Darth Servo · Post by **Darth Servo** » 2005-04-07 02:04pm

unbeataBULL wrote:4 words: Michael and Janet Jackson.

Lets play "word bid". I can prove the Devil's existance in THREE words: George W. Bush.

wolveraptor · Post by **wolveraptor** » 2005-04-07 02:10pm

Fred Phelps. The ultimate proof.

On the other hand, he could be considered to laughable to be a proof.

Ooh, i've got a good one: Dick Cheney.

Max · Post by **Max** » 2005-04-07 02:40pm

I'm sorry.. I have to go with Charo. One word.

wolveraptor · Post by **wolveraptor** » 2005-04-08 08:36pm

...Charo?

Durandal · Post by **Durandal** » 2005-04-08 09:33pm

Darth Servo wrote:
unbeataBULL wrote:4 words: Michael and Janet Jackson.
Lets play "word bid". I can prove the Devil's existance in THREE words: George W. Bush.

Those three words also provide us of living proof of one of homo erectus' direct, primate ancestors.

Darth Servo · Post by **Darth Servo** » 2005-04-09 02:24pm

Durandal wrote:
Darth Servo wrote:
unbeataBULL wrote:4 words: Michael and Janet Jackson.
Lets play "word bid". I can prove the Devil's existance in THREE words: George W. Bush.
Those three words also provide us of living proof of one of homo erectus' direct, primate ancestors.

Nah. Its just a regular modern chimp.