Ancient Fossil Offers Clues To Primate Evolution 311
langelgjm sends in an update to a story we discussed over the weekend about an extremely well-preserved fossil of an ancient primate, Darwinius masillae, that sheds light on an important area of evolution. The 47 million-year-old specimen has now been officially unveiled, and while many media outlets are stumbling over themselves with phrases like "missing link" and "holy grail," it's clearly a very impressive find. "Discovered two years ago, the exquisitely preserved specimen is not a direct ancestor of monkeys and humans, but hints at what such an ancestor might have looked like. According to researchers, 'The specimen has an unusual history: it was privately collected and sold in two parts, with only the lesser part previously known. The second part, which has just come to light, shows the skeleton to be the most complete primate known in the fossil record.' The scientific article describing the find was published yesterday in the peer-reviewed, open-access journal PLoS ONE. Google's home page is also celebrating the find with a unique image." Science blogger Brian Switek offers some criticism of the academic paper and the media swarm, saying, "I would have hoped that this fossil would receive the care and attention it deserves, but for now it looks like a cash cow for the History Channel. Indeed, this association may not have only presented overblown claims to the public, but hindered good science, as well."
Re:I got 10 bucks here ... (Score:5, Funny)
... says it's a hoax.
Of course its a hoax. everyone knows the earth is only 6000 years old.
Re:I got 10 bucks here ... (Score:5, Funny)
... says it's a hoax. Any takers?
It's a pseudo-hoax. I'm sure the citizens of Magrathea are quite pleased that we're stumbling upon the little details they left.
Great, 2 more gaps created in out fossil records;) (Score:2, Funny)
nt
Re:I got 10 bucks here ... (Score:5, Funny)
Six day old and questionable (Score:2, Funny)
Why is this 'news', it is an old report IF you look at archeology reports.
Why is everyone so behind the times?
Ex. (Score:2, Funny)
... says it's a hoax.
Of course it's not a hoax...it's my Ex. I just forgot where I buried her.
Re:I got 10 bucks here ... (Score:5, Funny)
No way, Google [gmodules.com] changed their logo for this! It *has* to be real!
No way (Score:5, Funny)
Not a chance. They'd have to reduce the Hitler coverage to do that.
rj
ancient fossils (Score:3, Funny)
Re:I got 10 bucks here ... (Score:2, Funny)
10 PRINT The power of Christ compels you !
20 GOTO 10
Re:Creationism (Score:3, Funny)
Its Parentage (Score:2, Funny)
latest phdcomics is an exact fit (Score:4, Funny)
http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php [phdcomics.com]
Re:Gand*N+1 Aunt? (Score:1, Funny)
Re:No way (Score:5, Funny)
Don't be dissing on the Hitler Channel. Those who are ignorant of Hitler are doomed to use him in Internet arguments.
Re:Give it a rest (Score:5, Funny)
"That's amazing", said the tourist, "How do you know the age so exactly?"
"Well, that's easy", replied the guide. "It was 6.5 million years old when I started working here, and that was three and a half years ago."
What's up with Google's image? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Gand*N+1 Aunt? (Score:5, Funny)
Admit it, you're just pretending to be from Alabama. It's obvious.
If you were for real, you wouldn't be able to read.
Re:Give it a rest (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Meanwhile over in Congress (Score:4, Funny)
I disagree. While the generation of material fragments is certainly interesting and has some practical applications (notably in armour and weapons designed to break it [wikipedia.org]) it's still a somewhat specialist and niche subject.
Primate evolution (Score:3, Funny)