Extraordinary find is 'Missing Link' between Humans and Other Mammals
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- DeliaTheArtist
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more from Tech:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/may/19/ida-fossil-missing-link
"Scientists have discovered an exquisitely preserved ancient primate fossil that they believe forms a crucial "missing link" between our own evolutionary branch of life and the rest of the animal kingdom.The 47m-year-old primate – named Ida – has been hailed as the fossil equivalent of a "Rosetta Stone" for understanding the critical early stages of primate evolution.
The top-level international research team, who have studied her in secret for the past two years, believe she is the most complete and best preserved primate fossil ever uncovered. The skeleton is 95% complete and thanks to the unique location where she died, it is possible to see individual hairs covering her body and even the make-up of her final meal – a last vegetarian snack.
"This little creature is going to show us our connection with the rest of all the mammals; with cows and sheep, and elephants and anteaters," said Sir David Attenborough who is narrating a BBC documentary on the find. "The more you look at Ida, the more you can see, as it were, the primate in embryo."
"This will be the one pictured in the textbooks for the next hundred years," said Dr Jørn Hurum, the palaeontologist from Oslo University's Natural History Museum who assembled the scientific team to study the fossil. "It tells a part of our evolution that's been hidden so far. It's been hidden because the only [other] specimens are so incomplete and so broken there's nothing almost to study." The fossil has been formally named Darwinius masillae in honour of Darwin's 200th birthday year.
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- recommended by:
- ras_menelik
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librelover
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http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17173-why-ida-fossil-is-not-the-missing-li...
Oops! Looks like it's not quite that simple.
- 9 months ago
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librelover
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SamuraiDave
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The missing link bit was rather a bit of jumping the gun. Ida is so far removed from humans to be more of a distant cousin several times removed to the point of being left out at the family reunion.
Ida represents the rise of higher primates. Humans were still tens of millions of years later but that didn't stop some folks from claiming this to be the evolutionary grail in which to trump creationists.
- 9 months ago
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SamuraiDave
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twitterbot
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@TaviGreiner on twitter says "Intriguing! @Pathofreason: Transitional fossil in human evolution FOUND! Seriously"
- 9 months ago
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twitterbot
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twitterbot
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@Plushe on twitter says "Transitional fossil in human evolution FOUND! Seriously (via @Pathofreason, @PoisonTheMonkey) -- Freaky"
- 9 months ago
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twitterbot
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nursediesel
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This is great. She has 5 fingers, likes her vegetables, fractured her L. wrist..... I can't wait to hear more. Cool Beans!
Thanks, Delia. - 9 months ago
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nursediesel
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saverio
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Sir David Attenborough has a programme airing on Tuesday, and scientist Colin Tudge has a book on the subject out today! What an incredible coincidence!
Greatest fossil-related PR campaign ever.
- 9 months ago
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saverio
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Hendrix_Is_God
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Deliah's reply- Loved it.
My own reply, I FRIGGIN' LOVE IT.
- 9 months ago
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Hendrix_Is_God
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mattbrawn
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Your story has been included in tonight's [20/05/09] episode of 'Upstream' which airs at 7pm GMT Sky 183 / Virgin 155.
Tell your friends, you're gonna be famous!
- 9 months ago
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mattbrawn
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bailey78
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uncle fred is that you?? what happen?you look like you were smashed by a rock
- 9 months ago
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bailey78
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Mista_G
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This is freakin' cool.
Despite what all the haters are saying, I think this is a pretty big discovery, especially for how well preserved it is...
- 9 months ago
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Mista_G
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JcX
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i know a girl who looks like this so it's believable
- 9 months ago
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JcX
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ksimpson
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aw it's cute. Here the daily mail have done some little drawings of what she might look like if alive today.
- 9 months ago
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ksimpson
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numinant
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ksimpson:
So we're descended from lemurs?
- 9 months ago
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numinant
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ksimpson
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ksimpson:
looks like it!
- 9 months ago
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ksimpson
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Slick
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That is quite odd!!
- 9 months ago
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Slick
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thestupidtimes
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Let's have some fun with this:
http://thestupidtimes.blogspot.com/2009/05/primate-fossil-proves-link-between.ht...
- 9 months ago
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thestupidtimes
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Mikeysfake1
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So we were dinosaurs?
- 9 months ago
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Mikeysfake1
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numinant
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Why have they been studying this in secret for two years?
- 9 months ago
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numinant
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saverio
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numinant:
And why did they start studying it 22 years after its discovery?
- 9 months ago
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saverio
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TheForeteller
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If anybody was smart...they would know how all life started at sea.......then went towards land....
religious queers are fucking clueless about prokaryotes. - 9 months ago
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TheForeteller
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jamieson
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Having a 'debate' with a creationist usually goes down something like this...
- 9 months ago
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jamieson
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Panzer_Tanzler
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jamieson:
Family Guy sucks.
- 9 months ago
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Panzer_Tanzler
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neonbunny
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jamieson:
EPIC!! LOL
- 9 months ago
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neonbunny
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current89
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another awesome photo of the fossil. Courtesy of The New York Times
- 9 months ago
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current89
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DeliaTheArtist
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Let me clear some things up here:
There's no such thing as a real "missing link"- the term is almost like a slang word to describe fossils that show developments in evolution. When people are talking about "gaps" and "missing links" it's almost always in a creationism/evolution debate, where creationists claim there are too many "gaps and missing links" in evolution for it to be true. So, the idea of a true "missing link", or one fossil that is the end all be all of evolution is false- but the term has it's own meaning to people which is why it's still used by the media.
This fossil is one of the most well preserved we've seen and it's structure will be able to further the understanding of the evolutionary tree, specifically pieces that had no direct fossils to look at, and pieces that have to do with human evolution- that's why it's exciting!
- 9 months ago
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DeliaTheArtist
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quixotic12
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DeliaTheArtist:
I agree it's very exciting. I want to see this documentary they're talking about too.
- 9 months ago
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quixotic12
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blueghost09
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DeliaTheArtist:
It looks almost TOO well preserved. That is what concerns me.
I've seen more weathered art pieces by Krista Van Ness and others.
- 9 months ago
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blueghost09
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DeliaTheArtist
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DeliaTheArtist:
Why does it being well preserved concern you?
- 9 months ago
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DeliaTheArtist
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2helenahandbasket
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Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever. I remember a few years back when they found the "missing link". After much hype, it turned out to be the skeleton of an ancient pig.
- 9 months ago
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2helenahandbasket
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blueghost09
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Sounds like b/s to me....I bet there is something much more profoundly crucial about to come out about our human ancestral heritage that they don't want us to pay attention to and the MSM will not report on it anyway.
Perhaps another huge financial scandal's about to hit.
This seems too readily available and too forcibly pushed down the public's collective throat.
"Ohhhh lookie lookie here....LOOKie HERE, LITTLE MAN, *NOT* BEHIND THE CURTAIN....."
- 9 months ago
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blueghost09
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DeliaTheArtist
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blueghost09:
How do you figure scientific discovery is just a distraction? If anything, people should be paying more attention to science!
- 9 months ago
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DeliaTheArtist
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edenfiu
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blueghost09:
its because of people like you that there is a conspiracy for everything and i dont see how this has been shoved down the publics collective throat. the only place i have heard of it is current. thanks delia :)
- 9 months ago
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edenfiu
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blueghost09
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blueghost09:
It is EVERYWHERE!!!!
Even FoxSnoooze has cottoned onto it and Drudge and all the fundies.
It's all over MSM (main stream media)!
Pay attention!
- 9 months ago
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blueghost09
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DougChristian
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blueghost09:
OK has anyone been to Google today? Blueghost is right, this thing is everywhere. The Google logo has this "missing link". That's a pretty big deal.
- 9 months ago
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DougChristian
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tangibleparadox
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blueghost09:
i was going to say something about that.
either a big deal, or too-big a deal made out of it. if i had the patience to read the scientific paper linked earlier, i'd draw a final conclusion.
- 9 months ago
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tangibleparadox
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blueghost09
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blueghost09:
I guess it all this "breaking coverage" couldn't have anything (ANYTHING AT ALL!!!) to do with the special coming up on Discovery on just this subject????
It also seems a bit odd to be releasing this news now as it was discovered in 1983 and bought by the group that holds it today.
- 9 months ago
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blueghost09
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VoyagerFilms
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Very cool. Say, how do I look?
- 9 months ago
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VoyagerFilms
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TopScruffy
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VoyagerFilms:
If I tell you, you'll get depressed... or will you?
- 9 months ago
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TopScruffy
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fun_size
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Wow very cool. Im not really a fan of the "missing link" title though since every new piece of evidence they find is the "missing link"
- 9 months ago
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fun_size
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DeliaTheArtist
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fun_size:
Yeah "Missing Link" isn't really a scientific term, more a of slang for the public.
- 9 months ago
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DeliaTheArtist
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DeliaTheArtist
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Here's the (quite long) scientific paper on it: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0005723
And another article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/may/19/fossil-ida-missing-link
- 9 months ago
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DeliaTheArtist
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masterzip
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Don't people know by now that Man was created by the Sistine Chapel?
- 9 months ago
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masterzip
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wirehedd
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I'm waiting with bated breath for the creationists to chime in.
Otherwise this sounds like a fantastic discovery.
Originally found 20 years or so ago but it's public now.
- 9 months ago
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wirehedd
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nursediesel
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wirehedd:
Thanks for another side to the story. And I loved the scan and other pix on the iceman. Thanx. ND
- 9 months ago
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nursediesel
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current89
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This is awesome! Obviously god has given us another challenge to test our faith in him/her/it. j/k
Obviously this is an amazing find, and I'm sure people of all religious denominations and otherwise will respect that.
- 9 months ago
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current89
