Naked Science Forum
Non Life Sciences => Geology, Palaeontology & Archaeology => Topic started by: FuzzyUK on 13/04/2006 02:42:52
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WASHINGTON - The latest fossil unearthed from a human ancestral hot spot in Africa allows scientists to link together the most complete chain of human evolution so far.
The 4.2 million-year-old fossil discovered in northeastern Ethiopia helps scientists fill in the gaps of how human ancestors made the giant leap from one species to another. That’s because the newest fossil, the species Australopithecus anamensis, was found in the region of the Middle Awash — where seven other human-like species spanning nearly 6 million years and three major phases of human development were previously discovered.
“We just found the chain of evolution, the continuity through time,” study co-author and Ethiopian anthropologist Berhane Asfaw said in a phone interview from Addis Ababa. “One form evolved to another. This is evidence of evolution in one place through time.”
Read more: (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12286206/)
(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmsnbcmedia.msn.com%2Fj%2Fmsnbc%2FComponents%2FPhotos%2F060412%2F060412_fossil_vmed_9a.widec.jpg&hash=605f47945d2cf465134711a5ba6e6630)
Teeth and bones from the hand, foot and thigh are among the fragments of the Australopithecus anamensis fossil found in the Middle Awash region in northeastern Ethiopia
P.S. 4.2 million-year-old fossil? OK, OK, I get the message - Happy birthday!
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The odds against preservation of fossils, their consequent rarity, and the small absolute number of researchers actually searching for finds at the limited margins of exposed formations, together make it remarkable we have found out anything about our more remote ancestors. What is fascinating to me is that further discoveries of this sort will continue, while new techniques, as yet unimagined, will expand and deepen our understanding.
Observe; collate; conjecture; analyse; hypothesise; test; validate; theorise. Repeat until complete.