Posted on 11/07/2005 8:35:20 AM PST by dead
Palaeontologists excavating a dump outside Barcelona have found a skull dating back 14m years that could belong to a common ancestor of apes and humans.
The nearly intact skull, which has a flat face, jaw and teeth, may belong to a previously unknown species of great ape, said Salvador Moya, the chief palaeontologist on the dig. "We could find a cradle of humanity in the Mediterranean," he said.
A routine land survey for a planned expansion of the Can Mata dump in Els Hostalets de Pierola turned up the first surprise in 2002: a primate's tooth.
Since then, scientists from the Miquel Crusafont Institute of Palaeontology in Sabadell have unearthed nearly 12,000 fossils of primates and other animals that lived during the Middle Miocene era - between 14m and 8m years ago - when the area was covered by tropical rainforest and populated by the precursors of today's elephants, antelopes and monkeys.
Last year, the team found a 13m-year-old partial skeleton, also believed to be a common ancestor of apes and humans - a male fruit-eater, nicknamed Pau.
"If there is a place in the world where it is possible to find an entire skeleton of a common ancestor to the great apes and humans, it is Hostalets de Pierola," Mr Moya told El País newspaper. "In few places [will] you uncover so many connected vertebrae in such good condition."
The Can Mata dump sits above clay soil in which animal remains became trapped and well-preserved.
I am eagerly awaiting the post where you link fluoridation of the water supply and attempts by Commnunists to sap our precious bodily fluids into the Evolution conspiracy.
"We share a common ancestor with chimps"
You may say whatever you wish about your personal family tree, but unless you have a mouse in your pocket, you should change that "we" to " I".
Believe what you wish, and have a wonderful day.
"I do not avoid women, Mandrake, but... I do deny them my essence." placemark
Hey it was 6 million years ago that we shared a common ancestor with a chimp; I guess you think that nothing that old ever existed in the first place so I guess it is no sweat off your brow.
<< I am eagerly awaiting the post where you link fluoridation of the water supply and attempts by Commnunists to sap our precious bodily fluids into the Evolution conspiracy. >>
"Have you ever seen your average Commie drinking water, Mandrake? Vodka -- that's what they drink."
Heck, I have no idea what my great-grandparents were like, nor why exactly they brought their family to America from Lithuania. I have a strong suspicion that my mother's great-grandparents in Alabama owned slaves, yet I've never had a desire to own slaves myself, nor do I feel particularly guilty because of my great-great-grandparents. (If their ill-gotten wealth at the expense of the people they enslaved had trickled down to my mom, then I'd feel guilty. But when my maternal great-grandparents died in the 1910's, my grandmother was cheated by her brothers out of whatever wealth had remained. The advantages or disadvantages that I started out with came from the choices that my parents made in their lives.)
I do feel ashamed or proud of my ancestors, but why should my judgement of them affect my judgement of myself? I've made my own choices in my own life, thank you very much. And why should I feel either proud or ashamed of the fact that my great-great-[snip 500,000 "greats"]-great grandparents were basically chimpanzees?
Help me out here. Am I wrong to not worry about what my distant ancestors were?
For every human being in existence today, our entire family tree is composed of homo sapiens. However, our species as a whole shares a common ancestor with the other apes.
but unless you have a mouse in your pocket, you should change that "we" to " I".
Sorry, but your wilful denial of the facts in no way changes those facts. You are an ape, just like every other human being, and we all share a common ancestor with chimps.
Like I said, this is not a question of belief. This is a fact.
And why are you here, when it's obvious that you don't care about what evolution states? Do you just come in to ridicule biology from a position of willful ignorance, or do you really think that you're scoring points with inane strawmen and non-sequiturs?
[Edited for clarity]
Prehistoric skull found in dump may (opinion) be missing common ancestor of apes & humans
The Guardian ^ | Monday November 7, 2005 | Dale Fuchs in Madrid
Palaeontologists excavating a dump outside Barcelona have found a skull dating back 14m years that could (opinion) belong to a common ancestor(opinion) of apes and humans.
The nearly intact skull, which has a flat face, jaw and teeth, may (opinion) belong to a previously unknown species of great ape, said Salvador Moya, the chief palaeontologist on the dig. "We could (opinion) find a cradle of humanity in the Mediterranean," he said.
A routine land survey for a planned expansion of the Can Mata dump in Els Hostalets de Pierola turned up the first surprise in 2002: a primate's tooth.
Since then, scientists from the Miquel Crusafont Institute of Palaeontology in Sabadell have unearthed nearly 12,000 fossils of primates and other animals that lived during the Middle Miocene era - between 14m and 8m years ago - when the area was covered by tropical rainforest and populated by the precursors of today's elephants, antelopes and monkeys.
Last year, the team found a 13m-year-old partial skeleton, also believed (opinion) to be a common ancestor of apes and humans - a male fruit-eater, nicknamed Pau.
"If there is a place in the world where it is possible (opinion) to find an entire skeleton of a common ancestor (opinion) to the great apes and humans, it is Hostalets de Pierola," Mr Moya told El País newspaper. "In few places [will] you uncover (opinion) so many connected vertebrae in such good condition."
The Can Mata dump sits above clay soil in which animal remains became trapped and well-preserved.
You should act as editor for other science articles, too, so you can remind us all that current explanations behind gravity are also only "opinion".
It sets a standard he doesn't think he can reach.
I knew that Helen Thomas would be here somewhere. Someone should just ask her about evolution, she's seen most of it.
Are you aware that experts (for example, scientists) are allowed to give opinions in court testimony, but that laymen are not?
Can you think of any reason that this might be the case?
Because they got lost on the way to the supernaturalist forum.
Well, you state the obvious very well in your edit. But, the qualifying words were already in there. Nobody's claiming that these fossils ARE a common ancestor. The claim is that they MAY BE.
We can all read just fine. Qualifying words are used when they are needed, especially by scientists. And there they are in the article, for everyone to see.
You seem to be surprised that such words are used, and seem to feel the need to point them out to us. Why is that? Do you suppose we cannot read?
Hi Coyoteman! Hope it's as beautiful in your neck of the
woods as it is in PA today. And even better, they're digging
a pool in my backyard today.
OK, down to the hard science of evolution...
YES. I am aware of this. There are also other "experts"
who are also called to give testimony and they include
professors of philosophy, statistics, plumbers, glove &
shoe salesmen, and morticians.
But, testifying to an opinion is quite different than
the concept of what is opinion and what is fact.
My post pointed out what was opinion. In that regard,
though you disagree, I believe it was fair.
All the best,
ampu
MM,
thanks for your post.
I didn't state the obvious. I pointed it out.
I am not surprised. I expected it.
Why did I do it? I assure you it wasn't because
I knew anything about your reading ability at all.
I did it to emphasize a point. And I'm sure you
knew that... :-)
best,
ampu
Digging a pool? Heck, you're doing archaeology now! Never know what you'll find.
If it is a nice find, you might even want to tell the local paper. Then you'll have to say something like, "Its probably (opinion) an arrowhead!"
;-)
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