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Ancient Jawbone Could Shake Up Fossil Record [ Australopithecus anamensis ]
National Geographic News ^ | Friday the 13th, July 2007 | Nick Wadhams

Posted on 07/17/2007 9:32:39 AM PDT by SunkenCiv

Jawbones from an early human ancestor, found recently in northeast Ethiopia, could shine light on a murky period of human evolution, paleontologists say. The bones were found in the fossil-rich Afar region, just 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of the spot where the famed skeleton of "Lucy" -- early human ancestor who lived 3.2 million years ago -- was unearthed in 1974... The new bones are believed to date from 3.8 million to 3.5 million years ago. Though more research needs to be done, the group says the bones could bridge the gap between two known human ancestor species. Australopithecus anamensis lived some 4.2 million to 3.9 million years ago, and Australopithecus afarensis -- the species to which Lucy belonged -- thrived from 3.6 million to 3 million years ago... Some researchers believe that Lucy and others of her species were descendants of A. anamensis -- and these new Ethiopian jawbones could end that speculation... "We have had isolated teeth and [other skeleton parts] from previous years. What we didn't have was a complete jaw, which we have now," he said... The earlier species, A. anamensis, had large canine teeth and a narrow jaw. When Lucy appeared, compared to A. anamensis, the jaw had widened, the canines had become smaller, and the molars had grown. Such changes suggest that the A. afarensis chewed, not tore, its food.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.nationalgeographic.com ...


TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: anamensis; australopithecus; evolution; godsgravesglyphs; lucy
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To: Non-Sequitur

Saying a specific fossil is a “direct ancestor” is a bit like saying that since someone is of Austrian descent, Mozart must be a direct ancestor.


21 posted on 07/17/2007 11:44:43 AM PDT by js1138
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To: js1138
Saying a specific fossil is a “direct ancestor” is a bit like saying that since someone is of Austrian descent, Mozart must be a direct ancestor.

I think it's a little more specific than that. We're talking about species and their predecessors.

22 posted on 07/17/2007 11:53:17 AM PDT by Non-Sequitur (Save Fredericksburg. Support CVBT.)
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To: Non-Sequitur
I think it's a little more specific than that. We're talking about species and their predecessors.

Actually, that doesn't change what I said. Lucy's tribe could be cousins and not an ancestors.

23 posted on 07/17/2007 12:01:14 PM PDT by js1138
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To: Coyoteman

Thank you sir, that’s why one should always check with a subject matter expert.


24 posted on 07/17/2007 12:03:18 PM PDT by ASA Vet (Pray for the deliberately ignorant.)
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To: mtbopfuyn
When they invent time travel...

If time travel is possible then it has already been invented...nicht wahr?

25 posted on 07/17/2007 2:29:49 PM PDT by oldsalt (There's no such thing as a free lunch.)
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Comment #26 Removed by Moderator

To: SunkenCiv
Jawbones from an early human ancestor

If it's from a Democrat it could prove the story of Samson.

27 posted on 07/23/2007 2:36:59 PM PDT by Tribune7 (Live Earth: Pretend to Care)
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To: Coyoteman
The following chart illustrates how this can occur.

You choose to believe that your ancestors were apes, I'll believe that God created mine in His own image ;o)

28 posted on 07/23/2007 3:48:41 PM PDT by 4CJ (Annoy a liberal, honour Christians and our gallant Confederate dead)
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To: SunkenCiv

Pretty gnarly molars there, the canines seem to be missing though.


29 posted on 07/23/2007 3:54:52 PM PDT by tet68 ( " We would not die in that man's company, that fears his fellowship to die with us...." Henry V.)
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To: SunkenCiv; Alamo-Girl; AndrewC; Asphalt; Aussie Dasher; AnalogReigns; banalblues; Baraonda; ...

That’s a lovely picture of a monkey mouth there; certainly not in any way human, by any contortion of the imagination.


30 posted on 07/23/2007 4:24:33 PM PDT by editor-surveyor (Turning the general election into a second Democrat primary is not a winning strategy.)
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To: SunkenCiv
Ancient Jawbone Could Shake Up Fossil Record [ Australopithecus anamensis ]

Or not....

31 posted on 07/23/2007 4:27:52 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: tet68

That was an incisive observation...


32 posted on 07/23/2007 4:29:59 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Profile updated Monday, July 23, 2007 https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: SunkenCiv

Touche.

Still it seems odd that an earlier ancestor would have such large molars if they were predominantly meat eaters.


33 posted on 07/23/2007 4:34:37 PM PDT by tet68 ( " We would not die in that man's company, that fears his fellowship to die with us...." Henry V.)
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To: mtbopfuyn
This will end up as it always does, some Chinese peasant gluing together some old bones to make a buck off the idiot evos.
34 posted on 07/23/2007 6:02:59 PM PDT by razzle (Liberal Science: Experiments on unborn babies, man-made global warming, and darwinism.)
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To: editor-surveyor

Don’t forget, evolutionist (particularly, evolutionary paleontologists) are master story tellers. Words like, “appears”, “could be”, “might be”, etc, are standard in their vocabulary.


35 posted on 07/23/2007 6:32:19 PM PDT by LiteKeeper (Beware the secularization of America; the Islamization of Eurabia)
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To: SunkenCiv

Physical anthropology/Biblical bump


36 posted on 07/23/2007 7:04:24 PM PDT by onedoug
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To: editor-surveyor
That’s a lovely picture of a monkey mouth there; certainly not in any way human, by any contortion of the imagination.

Wrong, as usual.

Did you note the angle of the two rows of teeth? Were they parallel, or more parabolic?

It makes a difference, you know.

Or, I guess you don't know.

37 posted on 07/23/2007 7:42:03 PM PDT by Coyoteman (Religious belief does not constitute scientific evidence, nor does it convey scientific knowledge.)
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To: editor-surveyor

Thanks for the ping!


38 posted on 07/23/2007 8:17:37 PM PDT by Alamo-Girl
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To: tet68

I agree.


39 posted on 07/23/2007 8:48:29 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Profile updated Monday, July 23, 2007 https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: SunkenCiv

Front teeth appear to be gone. Might have been a cob of corn eater.


40 posted on 07/24/2007 12:39:08 AM PDT by taxesareforever (Never forget Matt Maupin)
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