Oldest "Human" Skeleton Found --Disproves "Missing Link - Page 2

Ghoulish Delight · 10-01-2009, 10:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gemini Cricket

Totally cool find.
But I can't help but wonder... we just found one? Where are all the others?

Quote:

Originally Posted by flippyshark

Given the fairly narrow conditions under which dead bodies will produce fossils (dying in a mudbank is a pretty good way to do it) - we are lucky to have found as many fossils as we have.

What flippy said, plus while the one that's highlighted was by far the most complete, they actually found pieces of "at least 36 other individuals."

JWBear · 10-01-2009, 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevy Baby

It's all a vast right-wing conspiracy

Isn't everything?

bewitched · 10-01-2009, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gemini Cricket

Totally cool find.
But I can't help but wonder... we just found one? Where are all the others?

Lying around the base of volcanoes on the planet Teegeeack.

Or something like that...

Alex · 10-01-2009, 10:35 PM

Yeah, and the larger and softer the animal the rarer it is to end up a fossil.

You have to die and then have your body almost immediately end up in a situation that will prevent decay or being eaten. Then have that situation be stable enough that you won't be eroded to dust before we modern humans can find it but not so hard to access that we can't actually find it.

Then on top of that it wouldn't be surprising to learn that the total world population of these hominids at any one time was in the thousands or tens of thousands and it's pretty amazing we found even one in recognizable condition.

Finding parts of 36 suggests we got really lucky with a well timed (for us, not so much them) hippopotamus stampede.

cirquelover · 10-02-2009, 12:17 AM

Did they really have hippopotamus' back then? I think it should at least be a mastedon or something cooler.

3894 · 10-02-2009, 09:16 AM

I'm not buying that conjecture about ovulation and this find's bipedalism, are you?

Alex · 10-02-2009, 09:32 AM

I'm not nearly expert enough to have an opinion on how strong the claims are. But I wouldn't be surprised to find out if many of the interpretations end up being discarded.

I'm looking forward to Science Friday today on NPR. I'm assuming this will be much covered.

3894 · 10-06-2009, 06:02 AM

So, Daughter #1 is a Journalism major and writes for her college newspaper. Yesterday, she interviewed two of the anthropologists involved in this find because they're at her college. Hubbo was very happy about this until she e-mailed him about the interview and I quote:

Quote:

Yeah, thanks for the links, Dad. I just asked them what a typical day was like, things like that.

10-01-2009, 10:35 PM	#14
Alex . Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 13,354	Yeah, and the larger and softer the animal the rarer it is to end up a fossil. You have to die and then have your body almost immediately end up in a situation that will prevent decay or being eaten. Then have that situation be stable enough that you won't be eroded to dust before we modern humans can find it but not so hard to access that we can't actually find it. Then on top of that it wouldn't be surprising to learn that the total world population of these hominids at any one time was in the thousands or tens of thousands and it's pretty amazing we found even one in recognizable condition. Finding parts of 36 suggests we got really lucky with a well timed (for us, not so much them) hippopotamus stampede.
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10-02-2009, 12:17 AM	#15
cirquelover Cruising around in my automobile... Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Oregon Posts: 2,617	Did they really have hippopotamus' back then? I think it should at least be a mastedon or something cooler.
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10-02-2009, 09:16 AM	#16
3894 Next Stop: Funkytown! Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Cheeselandia Posts: 1,907	I'm not buying that conjecture about ovulation and this find's bipedalism, are you? __________________ "I didn't want to have to do this, but you leave me no choice. Here comes the smolder." - Flynn Rider, "Tangled"
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10-02-2009, 09:32 AM	#17
Alex . Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 13,354	I'm not nearly expert enough to have an opinion on how strong the claims are. But I wouldn't be surprised to find out if many of the interpretations end up being discarded. I'm looking forward to Science Friday today on NPR. I'm assuming this will be much covered.
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