http://www.mnh.si.edu/anthro/humanorigins/ha/hab.html
"Until 1964, Australopithecus remains had been found in Africa, but remains of the oldest representative of the genus Homo had been recognized only in Asia. In that year, however, Louis Leakey, Phillip Tobias, and John Napier announced the new species Homo habilis, or "handy man". They had to redefine the genus to accommodate this oldest form.
The OH 7 mandible is shown at the top right. In the 1960s, many researchers argued that Homo habilis was not a valid species, and that the fossils attributed to H. habilis were really members of other species. But with the discovery of KNM ER 1470, acceptance of Homo habilis became universal. In hindsight, this seems strange since ER 1470 is now considered to belong to a species distinct from H. habilis. There is much debate as to the number of species that existed in Homo 2 million years ago, and KNM ER 1470 is now assigned to the species Homo rudolfensis. The name Homo habilis is reserved primarily for the Olduvai material and several other specimens. The OH 62 partial skeleton of a female H. habilis provides another interesting twist in the debate about early members of the genus Homo."
And scientists just keep changing the rules. Were they human or were they not? But I'm willing to keep an open mind. Very interesting article.
Quoting: "And scientists just keep changing the rules. Were they human or were they not? But I'm willing to keep an open mind..."
Ah, the fundamentalists mind. Everything has to be either all black or all white, nothing grey.
1. Maybe they were transitional? That is, maybe they have some characteristics of apes at that time and some characteristics of Homo sapiens. That would make them true transitionals--which creationists deny exist.
2. Maybe they were a sub-species, a branch on the tree that did not continue, and this little branch died out, while other branches continued. Evolution is not a straight-line process, it has many zig-zags.
So the question, "were they human or not?" does not have to have a simple yes-no answer. Classification is a matter of drawing a line, for the purpose of descriptions.
As you are known on crevo threads, you should review the excellent postings of Ichneumon, Patrick Henry, Coyoteman, and others, who have shown the science underlying our present understanding of human evolution.