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Missing Link Found? (1 Viewer)

Jerry

Jerry

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Meet the relatives: Little Lucy, the half-ape half-human

By Mark Henderson, Science Editor
September 20, 2006

THE remains of the earliest known child from humanity’s family tree have been discovered in Ethiopia, filling in a critical missing link in evolution.

The almost complete skeleton belongs to a young girl of the species Australopithecus afarensis — a probable human ancestor that was among the first to walk on two legs — who died at the age of 3 about 3.3 million years ago.

*snip*

Early analysis has already started to transform understanding of a pivotal stage in the evolutionary process that led ultimately to Homo sapiens. Her anatomical features lie squarely in between those of humans and other apes, showing adaptations for walking upright on two legs and for climbing and swinging from trees.

This suggests that the species lived on the cusp of the human family’s transition to a bipedal, ground-based existence, generally accepted as one of the most crucial events in the emergence of the modern anatomy.

Selam’s brain case also suggests that while her intellect was more similar to a chimp than Man, the brain of her species had already started to evolve in the direction that would produce modern human intelligence. Details of the fossil are published today in the journal Nature.
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Very intriguing.....we have apparently found the Iraqi WMD’s of evolution.

Article continued at url.
 
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talloulou said:
Interesting! I guess the aliens made multiple attempts before settling on us shlubs, huh?
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Aliens....heh....personally this comes as no opposition to my view of how modern man came to be.

However, I would like to focus on this discovery, not on evolution -v- ID.
 
Jerry said:
Aliens....heh....personally this comes as no opposition to my view of how modern man came to be.

However, I would like to focus on this discovery, not on evolution -v- ID.
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Uhhh, okay...forget I said anything. :3oops:
 
mixedmedia said:
Fascinating story! Six years to unearth her, amazing...

I can't understand for the life of me how anyone can continue to deny the likelihood of human evolution...
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It is fascinating. I wonder what she'll look like when they recreate her. I was at the Natural Museum of Man this summer and they had a replica of what Lucy (the original) would have looked like.
 
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talloulou said:
It is fascinating. I wonder what she'll look like when they recreate her. I was at the Natural Museum of Man this summer and they had a replica of what Lucy (the original) would have looked like.
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For about the next 12-18 hours you can view an artist's recreation of these remains here (after this time they will change the page design for something ells). Perhaps someone more computer savvy than myself can pick up that pic and post it......
 
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Jerry said:
For about the next 12-18 hours you can view an artist's recreation of these remains here (after this time they will change the page design for something ells). Perhaps someone more computer savvy than myself can pick up that pic and post it......
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Looks alot less hairy than the other Lucy! I wonder how they figure out how much hair they had.
 
One piece in a very complex, and fascinating puzzle....thanks for the link Jerry
 
talloulou said:
It's in Balboa Park in San Diego. They also had a replica of the skeleton found in China (I think). It's really big and most likely where the big foot and similar stories stem from.
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Whoa! I've never heard of that. When did they find it? And what the hell is it? Do they have apes in China? Bizarre...
 
Slowly but surely we are putting together the remarkable story of our evolution piece by piece. We may never know the whole story. The fossilization of dead organisms is very very rare, thats why we have a missing link. We have probably yet only uncovered about 1% of all spieces of dinosaurs that ever existed.

Evolution fasinates me.
 
GarzaUK said:
Slowly but surely we are putting together the remarkable story of our evolution piece by piece. We may never know the whole story. The fossilization of dead organisms is very very rare, thats why we have a missing link. We have probably yet only uncovered about 1% of all spieces of dinosaurs that ever existed.

Evolution fasinates me.
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Same here man, ever give any thought to what the next stage in evolution might be? Or if our capacity for technology can have hindered our need to evolve further?
 
Ooh ahhh.... We found another monkey. Whoopdy dooo! I don't see what this proves. All it proves is that we found another species of ape that's long been extinct. How it proves evolution is a way out there 'theory', like something Art Bell would talk about...:roll:

Were you guys into that pokemon thing? Where yer lil' critters evolve after so many levels or whatever?

http://www.x-entertainment.com/pics3/pak12.jpg
 
Donkey1499 said:
Ooh ahhh.... We found another monkey. Whoopdy dooo! I don't see what this proves. All it proves is that we found another species of ape that's long been extinct. How it proves evolution is a way out there 'theory', like something Art Bell would talk about...:roll:
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LOL

Well folks, I think we just found another missing link. He looks like a human, but has the brain of an ape. :lol:
 
Donkey1499 said:
Ooh ahhh.... We found another monkey. Whoopdy dooo! I don't see what this proves. All it proves is that we found another species of ape that's long been extinct. How it proves evolution is a way out there 'theory', like something Art Bell would talk about...:roll:
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Actually, they look at minute details, such as jawline, teeth, shape of skull, to determine if it's truly just some old ape or something else.
For instance, here's the mouth of a modern chimp:
2Frodo32.JPG

Here's the new discovery:
060920-baby-photos_big.jpg

The teeth are closer to modern man's, the browline is flat. You know, stuff like that....

I found this: compare
Hopefully that'll give you a little bit of......knowledge.
 
Lachean said:
Or if our capacity for technology can have hindered our need to evolve further?
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Now, that is an interesting notion. How's this...

Has our technological age and our use of machines for labor slowed our evolution? Surely, we will continue to evolve. Because of computers, we have unleashed an extremely heightened sense of invention, discovery and creativity. But, we use our collective physical strength less than our ancestors. Maybe our next steps in evolution will be much more mind intensive rather than physical.

Not to be geeky, but...

Today we are barbarians. Tomorrow we may be X-Men with powers of the mind and the ability to enhance the natural chemicals in our bodies.

PS - Sorry jerry. I know it's off your topic, but I had to run with the idea.
 
Donkey1499 said:
Ooh ahhh.... We found another monkey. Whoopdy dooo! I don't see what this proves. All it proves is that we found another species of ape that's long been extinct. How it proves evolution is a way out there 'theory', like something Art Bell would talk about...:roll:

Were you guys into that pokemon thing? Where yer lil' critters evolve after so many levels or whatever?

http://www.x-entertainment.com/pics3/pak12.jpg
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Getting a bit defensive....over some silly Ape....aren't ya'?
 
GySgt said:
Has our technological age and our use of machines for labor slowed our evolution? Surely, we will continue to evolve. Because of computers, we have unleashed an extremely heightened sense of invention, discovery and creativity. But, we use our collective physical strength less than our ancestors. Maybe our next steps in evolution will be much more mind intensive rather than physical.
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I happen to think that we will be forced to evolve/adapt when we become a space-traveling species.

GySgt said:
Not to be geeky, but...

Today we are barbarians. Tomorrow we may be X-Men with powers of the mind and the ability to enhance the natural chemicals in our bodies.
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Well, we can already enhance the natural chemicals in our bodies. Evolution is slow, which is why I think we will also use science to make the changes we wish to see in ourselves. However X-Men like powers are quite physically impossible.

I like the idea of Ascension much more. Where we evolve to a higher consciousness of some kind, and eventually to the point where we exist without any corporeal-tangible form. To be geeky that is...
 
Lachean said:
I happen to think that we will be forced to evolve/adapt when we become a space-traveling species.



Well, we can already enhance the natural chemicals in our bodies. Evolution is slow, which is why I think we will also use science to make the changes we wish to see in ourselves. However X-Men like powers are quite physically impossible.

I like the idea of Ascension much more. Where we evolve to a higher consciousness of some kind, and eventually to the point where we exist without any corporeal-tangible form. To be geeky that is...
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The Buddhists already have that one figured out. It's called 'nirvana.' ;)
 
mixedmedia said:
The Buddhists already have that one figured out. It's called 'nirvana.' ;)
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You're mistaken. Nirvana is the end result of enlightenment, where you give up everything, including your consciousness. Nirvana translates to "Not that."

I have a few problems with Buddhist enlightenment simply because it states that I must cease my self-indulgent lifestyle in order to proceed down the middle path. No thank you!
 
Lachean said:
You're mistaken. Nirvana is the end result of enlightenment, where you give up everything, including your consciousness. Nirvana translates to "Not that."
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Yes, that is true. But mostly I was making a funny. :2razz:

I have a few problems with Buddhist enlightenment simply because it states that I must cease my self-indulgent lifestyle in order to proceed down the middle path. No thank you!
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:rofl Well, fine then!
 
mixedmedia said:
Whoa! I've never heard of that. When did they find it? And what the hell is it? Do they have apes in China? Bizarre...
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It's a bigfoot or a yeti depending on where you live. I think it was found in China or parts of it were found and then it was recreated by an artist. I don't remember too much except it was pretty damn big. Here's an article on it....

Oh it's scientific name:

Gigantopithecus

http://www.bfro.net/GDB/show_article.asp?id=338
 
GySgt said:
Lachean said:
Or if our capacity for technology can have hindered our need to evolve further?
Click to expand...

Now, that is an interesting notion. How's this...

Has our technological age and our use of machines for labor slowed our evolution? Surely, we will continue to evolve. Because of computers, we have unleashed an extremely heightened sense of invention, discovery and creativity. But, we use our collective physical strength less than our ancestors. Maybe our next steps in evolution will be much more mind intensive rather than physical.

Not to be geeky, but...

Today we are barbarians. Tomorrow we may be X-Men with powers of the mind and the ability to enhance the natural chemicals in our bodies.

PS - Sorry jerry. I know it's off your topic, but I had to run with the idea.
Click to expand...
It's all good.

Thats a very interesting supposition to consider.
 
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