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.
Not to nitpick overmuch, but monkeys are primates - the two groups are not mutually exclusive, although not all primates are monkeys ;)
Anyway, perhaps you meant "ape" instead of "primate"?
LOL!!
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.
Nebraska not doing well this year?
It is unlikely that the original Patrick Henry was a creationist, as creationism was only invented by Ellen G White in the 1880s
Would that be the original Patrick Henry who was a creationist?
No, that would be the PatrickHenry on these crevo threads. If you have a question for him, you might ask. Be warned, he does not generally reply to trolls.
Wrong! Creationism was invented by God.
"Would that be the original Patrick Henry who was a creationist?"
That's pretty funny, there, razorbak. Since the original Patrick Henry predated Darwin by quite a bit, there would have been no conflict.
The concept of creationism as an opposing idea to the theory of evolution could not have occurred before Darwin published.
Nice try, though....
My response to this is to cite the dismal record of so-called missing links:Nebraska man
Java man
Piltdown man
Orce man
I'd never heard of Orce man before. It sounds as dishonest as Nebraska Man, which is to say not at all.
Anyway, have you ever heard of Homo habilis? Homo erectus? (multiple fossils of each - Java Man is a perfectly legitimate H. erectus) Turkana Boy? Or any of the other dozens of fossils on this page?
Have you ever heard of Paluxy Man?
Probably a radical vegetarian.
"Not to nitpick overmuch, but monkeys are primates - the two groups are not mutually exclusive, although not all primates are monkeys ;)
Anyway, perhaps you meant "ape" instead of "primate"?"
I worked with that guy, once. He got promoted to management!
And once again, when a creationist wants to insult evolution, he calls it "religion."
"Very revealing" placemarker.
Just a reconstruction:
**Blinded! D@mn!...5 min. later.**
Helen Thomas..SHE shows up.
Thanks for the ping!
"I have always wondered about a few things about the evolution crowd..
Do you think that when their life turns to crap, and death is near, Do they pray to Darwin"
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