Missing link in evolution found

Hindustan Times ^

[mnehring]

Famous broadcaster and naturalist, Sir David Attenborough, is all set to present a documentary claiming to have discovered a missing link in human evolution - a monkey-like creature called an adapid.

According to a report in the Telegraph, the programme, which would be aired on the BBC later this month, could help to resolve the debate about which kind of primates humans are descended from.

Sir David will reveal the well-preserved frame of the small monkey-like creature on the programme.

The fossilised animal, thought to be at least 37 million years old, is a member of the extinct adapid family, and was discovered in a disused quarry in Germany.

Similar in appearance to modern lemurs, the young female has certain key differences which convinced researchers they have found the link to modern apes.

Unlike lemurs, it has no "toothcomb" teeth for grooming or "toilet claws" for scratching, two omissions which make it more likely to be ancestral to monkeys, higher apes and ultimately humans.

The fossil is reportedly so well preserved that some of its soft tissues such as skin and even its stomach contents can be examined.

"I examined this skeleton. It is exceptionally complete and it is well-dated," said Professor Philip Gingerich, co-author of the report and president of the US Paleontological Society.

"We have kept it under wraps because you can't blither about something until you understand it. We now understand it. It is going to advance our knowledge of evolution," he added.

The fossil of the creature, named Darwinus masillae, was discovered in two parts at different times.

[Just mythoughts]

The real big money from government grants is going into environmental sciences, military, or NASA, and with the exception of the former, it doesn’t end up in usable funds that, say, a scientist can by a mansion with, grant money goes to research. In the biological sciences, the biggest money is going into genome studies because of drug studies, something you can’t just ‘make something up’ and expect valid results. You don’t get rich by studying fossils or ‘evolution’. If money was the motivating desire, there are a lot of related fields they could easily go into. At that, interesting note, the one scientist who really has hit it big in the biological science arena is Francis Collins, the head of the human genome project, who, shock, is a Christian. He happens to believe in Theistic Evolution (a more scientific version of ID). He wrote a book, The Language of God, you should check it out.

NO the BIG money is devoted to keeping alive the theory of evolution in public education and call it science. Teachers unions up and down the whole system... They will NOT allow the Heavenly Father or His only Begotten Son, who died for any who would salvation for eternity.

Their whole theory rest on a secret fairy tale they will claim that does not have any thing to do with evolution and that is that holy undiscovered simmering hot pot of primordial slime. We are under system think that these parasites with do whatever it takes to keep themselves funded from K-12 and call it progress.

[mnehring]

NO the BIG money is devoted to keeping alive the theory of evolution

Do you have some evidence of this? If it is 'BIG money', it should be pretty easy to show documentation of this.

[Just mythoughts]

Do you have some evidence of this? If it is 'BIG money', it should be pretty easy to show documentation of this.

How much money does the department of education get each year from Congress? Then how much money does each state get from Congress IF they follow the 'model'? And then how much money is assessed against property owners for the purpose of funding public education? IT is all system think. The theme is 'fittest' for survival... and make no mistake about it so called conservatives play the game as well as the most radical liberals...

Public education is 'big' union government business and so long as GOD is kept off the state own business then all is well. We have this past election to demonstrate the success of public funded state education...

[mnehring]

How much money does the department of education get each year from Congress? You are changing the terms of your original statement. You said "BIG money is devoted to keeping alive the theory of evolution ". This is a very specific charge, saying 'how much money goes to the department of education' is a very general statement and is not evidence for the specific charge you made. I'll ask again, where is the documentation for the specific charge you made "BIG money is devoted to keeping alive the theory of evolution.."

Also, believing in evolution does not equal atheism. Just needed to get that off the table. Many, many Christians believe in evolution to some extent, from ID, to Theistic Evolution. It is accepted in general by the Catholic church as an official position.

[SunkenCiv]

Yeah, I had the same trouble finding that gate at O’Hare.

Wait, what?

[Tailgunner Joe]

Where is the evidence that this species evolved into another species? It's still and adapid isn't it? It's not half one animal and half another one, so how is it a missing link? Aren't these scientists confusing adaptation with evolution? This is not an animal that evolved into a different animal, but rather an animal that changed and adapted to its environment, but still remained the same animal, an adapid.

[bigheadfred]

HAHAHAHAHA!