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Scientist challenges interpretation of new find, the oldest primate fossil ever discovered
Nature Jan. 1, 2004, Nature ^ | 31 dec 2003 | Greg Borzo

Posted on 01/04/2004 9:13:08 AM PST by AdmSmith

Find opens debate about whether man's earliest ancestors came from Asia and were diurnal or nocturnal

CHICAGO--A skull and jawbones recently found in China is the oldest well-preserved primate fossil ever discovered ? as well as the best evidence of the presence of early primates in Asia. But the fossil raises the tantalizing possibility that remote human ancestors may have originated in Asia and stirs up debate about the nature of early primates.

In the words of Robert D. Martin, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Chicago's Field Museum, "It was once thought that primates originated in North America because that's where the earliest fossils were found initially; but we should be more open-minded. We still do not know the area of origin of the primate lineage that eventually led to humans, and this new find firmly brings Asia into the picture."

Xijun Ni and colleagues describe the fossil as Teilhardina asiatica, a new species of a genus first recognized from Belgium, in the Jan. 1, 2004, issue of Nature. At 28 grams, T. asiatica is smaller than any modern primate, and its size and sharp tooth cusps indicate that it was an insect-eater.

But a "News & Views" commentary in the same issue of Nature by Dr. Martin disagrees with part of the authors' interpretation of their new find.

Based on T. asiatica's small eye sockets relative to skull length, Ni and colleagues maintain that the small predator was diurnal (active during the day). Dr. Martin, on the other hand, says there is no compelling evidence from the fossil to shake the traditional belief that the common ancestor of primates, and early representatives such as members of the genus Teilhardina, were nocturnal (active at night).

"I disagree with the authors on both statistical and biological grounds," Dr. Martin says. "They excluded significant data in their analysis, and they did not adequately account for certain biological features, including the very large opening on the snout for the nerve connecting with the whiskers, which are best developed in nocturnal mammals."

Dispersal and biogeography

The earliest known undoubted primate fossils are about 55-million-years old from sites in North America, Europe ? and now Asia. Scientists had previously classified six of them in the genus Teilhardina. Ni adds T. asiatica to that group, which might therefore be thought to have dispersed throughout the northern continents.

Dr. Martin agrees that the new fossil belongs to the genus Teilhardina, but he argues that only it and T. belgica, found in Europe, belong there because of their shared traits. "The remaining five species previously identified as Teilhardina must, in fact, be from a quite separate genus," he said. "And this means Teilhardina was restricted to Europe and Asia and probably did not disperse all the way to what is now North America."

Dr. Martin's views have wider implications for biogeography, as well. Until recently, scientists believed that direct migration of primates between Asia and Europe around 55 million years ago would not have been possible due to a transcontinental marine barrier that ran from north to south down the middle of Eurasia at the time. Now, the presence of closely related Teilhardina species in China and Belgium adds to mounting evidence that primates and other mammals were able to migrate directly between Europe and Asia 55 million years ago.

In any event, Dr. Martin hails the new fossil as a very significant find. "It provides crucial new information about early primates in Asia that will help us understand the earliest beginnings of the branch that eventually led to human evolution," he said.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News
KEYWORDS: anthropology; archaeology; asia; china; crevolist; evolution; ggg; godsgravesglyphs; history; hominins; homoerectus; multiregionalism; paleontology; parsimoniousness; primates; primatology; replacement; science; teilhardinaasiatica
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A new year - new arguments?
1 posted on 01/04/2004 9:13:09 AM PST by AdmSmith
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To: All
Rank Location Receipts Donors/Avg Freepers/Avg Monthlies
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Thanks for donating to Free Republic!

Move your locale up the leaderboard!

2 posted on 01/04/2004 9:13:47 AM PST by Support Free Republic (Happy New Year)
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To: AdmSmith
But the fossil raises the tantalizing possibility that remote human ancestors may have originated in Asia

Why is that so tantalizing?

3 posted on 01/04/2004 9:14:20 AM PST by Terriergal (Psalm 11: 3 "When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?")
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To: AdmSmith; *Gods, Graves, Glyphs; abner; Alas Babylon!; Andyman; annyokie; bd476; BiffWondercat; ...
Gods, Graves, Glyphs
List for articles regarding early civilizations , life of all forms, - dinosaurs - etc.

Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from this ping list.

4 posted on 01/04/2004 9:21:18 AM PST by farmfriend ( Isaiah 55:10,11)
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To: Terriergal
I suppose because people that study this stuff are easily tantalized.
5 posted on 01/04/2004 9:25:19 AM PST by randog (Everything works great 'til the current flows.)
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To: farmfriend
"But the fossil raises the tantalizing possibility that remote human ancestors may have originated in Asia and stirs up debate about the nature of early primates."

I will be the least suprized if it is found that humans are 'Out-Of-Asia.'

6 posted on 01/04/2004 9:50:23 AM PST by blam
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To: Terriergal
just another way to excuse away the Bible.
7 posted on 01/04/2004 10:25:52 AM PST by RaceBannon
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To: PatrickHenry; VadeRetro; Piltdown_Woman; RadioAstronomer; Ichneumon
"Monkey Boy" ping...
8 posted on 01/04/2004 10:37:39 AM PST by Junior (To sweep, perchance to clean... Aye, there's the scrub.)
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To: Junior
I resemble that remark!
9 posted on 01/04/2004 10:44:21 AM PST by VadeRetro
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To: farmfriend
Please add me to your ping list. Thanks
10 posted on 01/04/2004 10:46:07 AM PST by cebadams (much better than ezra)
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To: blam
That makes two of us, I never liked the logic of the Out of Africa crowd.
11 posted on 01/04/2004 11:11:33 AM PST by Little Bill (The pain of being a Red Sox Fan.)
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To: *crevo_list; VadeRetro; jennyp; Junior; longshadow; RadioAstronomer; Physicist; LogicWings; ...
"Out of Ohio" PING. [This ping list is for the evolution side of evolution threads, and sometimes for other science topics. FReepmail me to be added or dropped.]
12 posted on 01/04/2004 11:26:16 AM PST by PatrickHenry (Felix, qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas.)
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To: cebadams
Consider yourself added. If you ever change your mind, or I get you on the wrong list, just let me know.
13 posted on 01/04/2004 11:59:50 AM PST by farmfriend ( Isaiah 55:10,11)
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To: RaceBannon
Yeah, and it works too.
14 posted on 01/04/2004 12:09:05 PM PST by balrog666 (Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.)
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To: blam

I will be the least suprized if it is found that humans are 'Out-Of-Asia.'

It's not going to surprise me either.

15 posted on 01/04/2004 12:26:09 PM PST by elli1
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To: AdmSmith
Xijun Ni and colleagues describe the fossil as Teilhardina asiatica, a new species of a genus first recognized from Belgium, in the Jan. 1, 2004, issue of Nature. At 28 grams, T. asiatica is smaller than any modern primate, and its size and sharp tooth cusps indicate that it was an insect-eater.

That sounds for all the world like a MONKEY, just like every "hominid" skeleton they've come up with so far except for the neanderthal, which was basically just an ice-age democrat.

16 posted on 01/04/2004 12:36:50 PM PST by greenwolf
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To: Little Bill; blam; farmfriend
I never liked the logic of the Out of Africa crowd.

What most diggers are finding is that thems that looked like people had already spread out a very long time ago.  Since an awful lot can happen in a million years, one guy can say we came out of Africa, and another can say we came up all over, and both be right.  It depends on what you call 'people'.

17 posted on 01/04/2004 12:46:36 PM PST by expat_panama (..and a very happy new year it is!)
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To: RaceBannon
You've found us out. This has nothing to do with legitimate research on human origins, it's all just a sham to discredit the Bible and turn people away from Christ, because out of all of the thousands of religions in the world, Christianity is the only on that we're working to destroy (even though evolution theory contradicts the creation myths of countless other religions as well). Darn, we'll have to scrap this plan and start all over again. The Evil Atheist Conspiracy will remember this!
18 posted on 01/04/2004 12:47:55 PM PST by Dimensio (The only thing you feel when you take a human life is recoil. -- Frank "Earl" Jones)
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To: expat_panama
That map is a little out of date. We have 13,000 year old 'Arlington Springs Woman' in California, 16,000 year old artifacts at the Meadowcroft and Topper sites and 15-35,000 year old artifacts at the Monte Verde site.
19 posted on 01/04/2004 1:01:48 PM PST by blam
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To: Dimensio; RaceBannon
Don't pick on RaceBannon, the arguement is when God endowed man with a soul. Race is a fundimentalist, I am not. I believe that God created and directed creation and endowed the most worthy of those that He created with the promise of an afterlife if they believed in Him, Race and I have few argeuments beyond this.
20 posted on 01/04/2004 1:09:34 PM PST by Little Bill (The pain of being a Red Sox Fan.)
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