Fifteen years ago, Berkeley scientist Tim White and a team of researchers from Ethiopia and America found bones of a hominid older than the 3.2 million-year-old Lucy (A. afarensis). The team collected 110 bones, enough to reconstruct the skeletons of what was unveiled today as Ardipithecus ramidus. These bones date from 4.4 million years ago! Carl Zimmer points out several ways that this prehistoric species tells us new things about the development of humans. For example, in some animal species (including apes), male canine teeth are much bigger than the female version. These are the species in which competition for females often turns violent.
There have been a couple of hominid bones found that are even older than Ardipithecus, but none with enough fossils to even begin reconstructing a skeleton. Link -via Metafilter
White and his colleagues found so many teeth of different Ardipithecus individuals that they could compare male and female canines with some confidence. The male teeth turn out to be surprisingly blunted. This result suggests that hominids shifted away from a typical ape social structure early in our ancestry. If this was a result of males forming long-term bonds with females and helping raise young, this shift was able to occur while hominids were still living a very ape-like life. Ardipithecus existed about 2 million years before the oldest evidence of stone tools, suggesting that technology was not the trigger for the evolution of nice hominid guys.
There have been a couple of hominid bones found that are even older than Ardipithecus, but none with enough fossils to even begin reconstructing a skeleton. Link -via Metafilter
Thanks, you can't pay for entertainment like that.
The Earth is only 6,000 years old? I'm more frightened by the fact that 40% of the world population believes the Bible word-for-word, than anything else.
When creationists can bring more evidence to the table than a book, then I will be one of the first in line to change my opinions and research for my own answers. Besides, isnt it odd that the Church was the one who decided what gospels would and wouldn't be included in the Bible to begin with? Talk about staging your arguments for eternity, lol.
Nifty discovery to say the least!
Anyway, back to the Point; This is an incredible find that allows me personally to feel much more connected to this world we all live in. It's harrowing to learn that humanoid species have existed for so much longer than we might have ever imagined.
Though, the offered explanations for "Ardi"s smaller canine teeth and bipedality feel a little forced. I'm curious as to what constitutes evidence of the use of tools, as it seems to me that "Ardi" may easily used, say, sticks or rocks as primitive tools.
For the creationists - since you don't believe in evolution then you don't have to worry about flu viruses evolving. If you've had the flu once, you'll never get it again because the virus will never change, never evolve.
Soooo, please quit getting flu vaccines for yourselves and your children. It seems that there are shortages nearly every year, so if you believers in bible science want to live your creed, you can opt out of the vaccines, leaving more for the rest of us.
Thank you, we'll put them to good use.
Creationist Theory is wrong.
Scientists are wrong in the fact that they think we evolved.
Before either side gets pissed and starts ranting read on.
Creationists are wrong in that the earth is only 7000 years old. The light being seen thru the hubble telescope is millions of years old because of the distance that it takes for light to reach the earth. Fossils found on this earth are accurately dated to millions of years old. Therefore how do we explain this?
If you use the Authorized King James Version of the bible it explains everything in Genesis and several other books of the bible.
The earth was created in the first 2 verses in the bible. Then there is a huge gap in history until the third verse pics back up and starts the 7000 year ago creation story of adam.
Other verses in the bible and books talk about what was on this earth those eons ago and how lucifer reigned upon the earth. There are also 2 different types of men mentioned in genesis.
For a very indepth study better than I could describe here go to this site and it is all layed out.
http://www.kjvbible.org/
Scientists are right in that this earth is very very old and the things they have found are valid, only out of context to how it happened. Ardipithecus proved that we did not evolve from monkeys, and that there was once a creature on this earth (early version of man to say) that is not the same as us. This proves that there was a race of man on this earth before adam and was later wiped out along with the dinosaurs.
Ardi's not the same as us because 4.4 million years is a lot of time for evolution to bring about significant change.
"This proves that there was a race of man on this earth before adam and was later wiped out along with the dinosaurs."
First of all, Ardi doesn't appear to have had the intelligence to make tools, tame fire, hold a conversation or conceive of God. So it's a way big stretch to call her human. Secondly, do you really believe that dinosaurs and Ardi co-existed?
Sheeeeeeesh.
I once took the opportunity to talk to some Jehovah's witnesses for several hours (why? cause I'm curious) and their explanation of the days of creation were that a day could have been the equivalent of millions of years and the use of the term days was used purely metaphorically.
and by all means, if I've misquoted something, or offended, please correct me
Yes, I think it must have been an intermediate stage, too. It's just hard to imagine what set of competitive pressures would bring a woodland inhabiting creature, with physical characteristics that enabled her to be a very efficient tree climber/dweller to also stand up and walk around on two feet. As the documentary points out, bipedalism is inefficient and slow. What advantage did it offer to Ardi? I guess I wasn't convinced by the argument that it allowed males to bring breakfast in bed to their mates.
As my husband and I and our friends have aged and begun to experience increasing stiffness in our backs and hips, I've come to believe that this bipedal design of ours must be a work in progress. Hopefully, all the kinks will be ironed out before another 4 million years pass.
I think an interpretation of the Judeo-Christian creation story that allows for days that last hundreds of millions of years is much more sensible than strict, literal interpretations.
"Darwin on Trial." by Phillip Johnson. It shreads the evolution theory on every level !!! this fossil skeleton helps to prove the bible by showing that this perosn WAS NO A KNUCKLE WALKER from sthe study of its hand..hence not from the primate family, interesting isnt it? Once you read with an open mind..beware of the other lies you might discover have been told to you....read the book..!!!