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1.4 Million-year-old Fossil Human Bone Closes Evolution Gap </div>
Scientific Computing ^ | 12/16/2013 - 5:36pm | University of Missouri-Columbia

Posted on 12/18/2013 10:11:55 AM PST by null and void


The styloid process allows the hand to lock into the wrist bones, giving humans the ability to apply greater amounts of pressure to the hand. This allows humans to make and use tools. Courtesy of University of Missouri

COLUMBIA, MO – Humans have a distinctive hand anatomy that allows them to make and use tools. Apes and other nonhuman primates do not have these distinctive anatomical features in their hands, and the point in time at which these features first appeared in human evolution is unknown. Now, a University of Missouri researcher and her international team of colleagues have found a new hand bone from a human ancestor who roamed the earth in East Africa approximately 1.42 million years ago. They suspect the bone belonged to the early human species, Homo erectus. The discovery of this bone is the earliest evidence of a modern human-like hand, indicating that this anatomical feature existed more than half a million years earlier than previously known.

"This bone is the third metacarpal in the hand, which connects to the middle finger. It was discovered at the 'Kaitio' site in West Turkana, Kenya," said Carol Ward, professor of pathology and anatomical sciences at MU. The discovery was made by a West Turkana Paleo Project team, led by Ward's colleague and co-author Fredrick Manthi of the National Museums of Kenya. "What makes this bone so distinct is that the presence of a styloid process, or projection of bone, at the end that connects to the wrist. Until now, this styloid process has been found only in us, Neandertals and other archaic humans."

The styloid process helps the hand bone lock into the wrist bones, allowing for greater amounts of pressure to be applied to the wrist and hand from a grasping thumb and fingers. Ward and her colleagues note that a lack of the styloid process created challenges for apes and earlier humans when they attempted to make and use tools. This lack of a styloid process may have increased the chances of having arthritis earlier, Ward said.

The bone was found near sites where the earliest Acheulian tools have appeared. Acheulian tools are ancient, shaped stone tools that include stone hand axes more than 1.6 million years old. Being able to make such precise tools indicates that these early humans were almost certainly using their hands for many other complex tasks as well, Ward said.

"The styloid process reflects an increased dexterity that allowed early human species to use powerful yet precise grips when manipulating objects. This was something that their predecessors couldn't do as well due to the lack of this styloid process and its associated anatomy," Ward said. "With this discovery, we are closing the gap on the evolutionary history of the human hand. This may not be the first appearance of the modern human hand, but we believe that it is close to the origin, given that we do not see this anatomy in any human fossils older than 1.8 million years. Our specialized, dexterous hands have been with us for most of the evolutionary history of our genus, Homo. They are – and have been for almost 1.5 million years – fundamental to our survival."


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: creation; evolution; gagdadbob; onecosmosblog
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To: cookcounty
They wanted to believe, so therefore they did believe.

Who's "they"? Scientists challenged Piltdown man from the beginning.

As early as 1913, David Waterston of King's College London published in Nature his conclusion that the sample consisted of an ape mandible and human skull.[6] Likewise, French paleontologist Marcellin Boule concluded the same thing in 1915. A third opinion from American zoologist Gerrit Smith Miller concluded Piltdown's jaw came from a fossil ape. In 1923, Franz Weidenreich examined the remains and correctly reported that they consisted of a modern human cranium and an orangutan jaw with filed-down teeth.[7]

141 posted on 12/18/2013 4:42:13 PM PST by Ha Ha Thats Very Logical
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To: cookcounty

I’m going to need that translated a bit.


142 posted on 12/18/2013 4:43:42 PM PST by Fuzz
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To: cookcounty
eventually. Like maybe in 40 years. How long did it take the leading lights of the "scientific community" to understand that Piltdown was an obvious very crude fraud?

several papers were published in the months following the initial claim. By scientists.
143 posted on 12/18/2013 4:47:52 PM PST by whattajoke (Let's keep Conservatism real.)
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To: whattajoke
"I mean, what cruel designer placed us on a planet wholly dependent on a giant fireball without providing us a type of skin cell immune to its cancer causing effects?

Suffering exists, therefore there is no intelligent designer? Really? That's pretty shallow stuff.

The most arrogant and boring people in the world are those that have suffered little.

144 posted on 12/18/2013 4:48:36 PM PST by cookcounty (IRS = Internal Revenge Service.)
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To: cookcounty
Suffering exists, therefore there is no intelligent designer? Really? That's pretty shallow stuff.

Agreed. I'm just trying to understand ID beyond, "I don't understand it, therefore God did it." The other gentleman arguing for ID has not provided anything further than that. (Despite his claims of a "tonnage of evidence" I have yet to have the privilege of having a look-see.)
145 posted on 12/18/2013 4:51:47 PM PST by whattajoke (Let's keep Conservatism real.)
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To: Ha Ha Thats Very Logical
"Let's say for the moment that there is such a thing as irreducible complexity. If there's overwhelming evidence for ID, its proponents should be able to agree on at least a few systems that are irreducibly complex........ Of course, by refusing to posit any such thing, they keep their "theory" unfalsifiable. I suspect that's really the point."

Obviously unaware of Michael Behe, who has in fact posited specific examples.

146 posted on 12/18/2013 4:56:19 PM PST by cookcounty (IRS = Internal Revenge Service.)
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To: Fuzz

I am a little slow on the uptake. May I ask you a few questions? I do not mean to be rude and interpose myself into your conversations with others.


147 posted on 12/18/2013 5:14:14 PM PST by Texas Songwriter
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To: cookcounty

Which of his examples do you think would prove irreducible complexity the best, for novices like me.


148 posted on 12/18/2013 5:15:49 PM PST by Fuzz
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To: Texas Songwriter

As long as you aren’t too picky about the answer, sure.


149 posted on 12/18/2013 5:16:39 PM PST by Fuzz
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To: cookcounty

Do you have any issue with professor Behe’s admission under oath that ID is equivalent to astrology? (The “A’s” are Behe under oath.)

Q And using your definition, intelligent design is a scientific theory, correct?

A Yes.

Q Under that same definition astrology is a scientific theory under your definition, correct?

A Under my definition, a scientific theory is a proposed explanation which focuses or points to physical, observable data and logical inferences. There are many things throughout the history of science which we now think to be incorrect which nonetheless would fit that — which would fit that definition. Yes, astrology is in fact one, and so is the ether theory of the propagation of light, and many other — many other theories as well.

Q The ether theory of light has been discarded, correct?

A That is correct.

Q But you are clear, under your definition, the definition that sweeps in intelligent design, astrology is also a scientific theory, correct?

A Yes, that’s correct.


150 posted on 12/18/2013 5:19:47 PM PST by whattajoke (Let's keep Conservatism real.)
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To: Fuzz

Thank you. Is your view that of the Darwinist, materialist which accounts for the universe?


151 posted on 12/18/2013 5:26:54 PM PST by Texas Songwriter
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To: whattajoke
I love science. There will always be new things to discover. But I hate myths disguised as science formed from those with an agenda. Usually the agenda is to disprove God's existence. What a sad, useless, and utterly futile agenda.

No, I won't regurgitate what I've already repeated on this thread. Go back and look and see what I've said about ID evidence. You don't need me to tell you what the evidence is. Just an objective look at your own body and how amazingly it works should be enough.

152 posted on 12/18/2013 5:50:51 PM PST by PapaNew
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To: Texas Songwriter

Well, one, I don’t know what you mean by Darwinist, as it often used as a pejorative and I certainly am not a ‘follower’ of Darwin. He was a man with what turned out to be some incredible observations that turned the world of science on its head.

As far as materialism is concerned, if you are interested in a philosophical discussion of the mind, I’m really not interested, nor qualified, mostly because I’ve never been interested.


153 posted on 12/18/2013 5:57:11 PM PST by Fuzz
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To: PapaNew
the agenda is to disprove God's existence.

the biological sciences have nothing to do with disproving any gods. Heck, atheism has nothing to do with trying to disprove any gods.

I asked for what seems like the 10th time on this thread for any of you creationists to name a body part - any body part - so we can look at its evolution - OR evidence for ID or special creation. Let's see how you did this time…

You don't need me to tell you what the evidence is. Just an objective look at your own body and how amazingly it works should be enough.


I've made it clear that looking at my own body is not enough. But that's not even what I'm trying to do here. Why can't you creationists name a part of your body? This thread has me very confused.
154 posted on 12/18/2013 5:57:57 PM PST by whattajoke (Let's keep Conservatism real.)
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To: Fuzz
The term Darwinist is replete in the literature regarding Darwinian theory. Let us define it simply, so I can understand, as a person who believes the theory of evolution accounts for biological diversity of life on planet Earth. I do not mean it as a trick question.

Regarding materialism I simply mean it means the universe is comprised of matter and energy. That is what the Big Bang produced. I am simply trying to understand your point of view. I will not ask any trick questions. I am a very simple person. I am simply looking for clarity on the subject.

My question regarding materialism simply references the question of how does one arrive at your conclusions regarding the theory of evolution. How to approach a resolution of those conclusions…how, then, will we arrive at agreement….'this is what your Dad believed, and he is always right', or 'that is what my Dad believed, and he is always right', or sociologically it is the representative majority consensus,…. or 'it is the most psychologically comforting',…. or, 'we will deliberately, thoughtfully consider the facts and use the laws of logic and reason and rational thought to examine my questions and your explications of such questions'.

You chose the method which you believe is most applicable to scientific investigation and methodologies applied to nature to arrive at your conclusion.

155 posted on 12/18/2013 6:17:02 PM PST by Texas Songwriter
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To: Fuzz

I await your answer.


156 posted on 12/18/2013 7:14:08 PM PST by Texas Songwriter
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To: Texas Songwriter

Ok, then if you could, please don’t refer to me as a Darwinist because of the implications of the word.

One more thing I’d like to make clear is I am by no means an expert on any of this, I wouldn’t be so arrogant to even claim it. You will get no great answers from me about anything.

As far as I know, there are no supernatural forces, so yeah, in that respect I am a materialist.

But frankly, my point of view on any of it is meaningless on these matters, only what is true matters. I do think that knowledge is expanded most thoroughly through rigid scientific scholarship though and not ‘common sense’ or comforting thoughts. Where that process will eventually lead will more than likely prove untrue most of what we think is true at some point. Half life of truth kind of thing.


157 posted on 12/18/2013 7:32:56 PM PST by Fuzz
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To: celmak

someone is trying to job you, don’t buy it.


158 posted on 12/18/2013 7:40:01 PM PST by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; Not averse to Going Bronson.)
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To: Fuzz
I will keep it as simple as I can. The following is my question.

Do you know it is true that Darwinian evolution accounts for the diversity of biological life on earth?

159 posted on 12/18/2013 7:43:42 PM PST by Texas Songwriter
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To: Texas Songwriter

I know as well as I can at this point, not as thoroughly as those who are experts. That’s not to say I would continue to believe it to be true should it be proven otherwise.


160 posted on 12/18/2013 7:53:13 PM PST by Fuzz
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