Fossils Raise Questions about Human Ancestry

Scientific American ^ | 9/8/2011 | By Ewen Callaway

[redreno]

New descriptions of Australopithecus sediba fossils have added to debates about the species' place in the human lineage. Five papers published today in Science describe the skull, pelvis, hands and feet of the ancient hominin unearthed three years ago in South Africa.

The papers reveal a curious mix of traits, some found in apes and earlier Australopithecus fossils, and others thought to be unique to Homo erectus--the tall, thin-boned hominin that emerged around 2 million years ago in eastern Africa and colonized Europe and Asia--and its descendants, including modern humans.

[tumblindice]

No one’s going to rise to that bait?

If you want to change the subject by playing the religion or race card, be prepared to respond. I’m getting as tired of the former as I am of the latter.

Darwin was a very religious man. His discoveries on the Galapagos disturbed him deeply.
To say that you disagree with his theory of `natural selection’ for some reason other than evidence to the contrary of what he demonstrated is just short, I think, of the stock DU/standard liberal last-ditch debate tactic: “Well .... you’re stoopid.”
Good night.

[Pharmboy]

Naaaa...his evolution by natural selection was adopted by racialist haters and certain other nuts but to call him an antisemite is a blatant falsehood. Nothing you said in reply indicates that he was a Jew-hater. That’s a bad thing to falsely accuse someone of...

[killermosquito]

I always wondered...if science said everything happened by accident why can’t they recreate it on purpose?

I’m not a mathematician so tell me if the following is accurate:

Suppose we were trying to randomly create a string of text, for example the word “evolution.” 10 characters, 26 letters in the alphabet so there are 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 possible combinations of characters. We are only able to randomly create a string 1000 times per second. If we did not achieve the word “evolution” until the very last possible letter combination it would take 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 seconds or 1,666,666,666,666,670,000,000 minutes or 27,777,777,777,777,800,000 hours or 1,157,407,407,407,410,000 days or 3,168,808,781,402,890 years for this miracle to occur (or more than 3 quadrillion years).

I suggest that it is a whole lot more difficult to create life from non-life in the amount of time that it has been suggested that the universe exists.

[count-your-change]

A controversial new paper that will be submitted as soon as it written and researched, will show that pale-humans and certain flora share traits not found in either. Fossils discovered and soon to be discovered have been named Australopithecus floraturnipcanus reveal these polo-humans seem to have been born in low light conditions like night time but as paleoentologist Ima Fumata from Overt University has remarked, “Notta lass nite”.

Dr. Fumata said it appears that the individuals fell a lot from the trees.

[TXnMA]

Actually true in my case...

[raygun]

If the controversy:

“It is just a theory” (ignorance on what a Scientific Theory is) “Where did everything come from?” (conflation of abiogenesis with TToE) “That ain’t what Bible Says says” (YEC, what can you say but you can ask which version of Genesis)

is "FUN" for you: I'm on the wrong internet political discusson/commentary board entirely.

Contemprary socio-polito issues are entirely irrlevevant...

I'm amused by the various factions on this board beating their braines in / out with regards to the upcoming election.

[Ira_Louvin]

Your argument from incredulity does not make it true, and will not work here.