Another Cousin Discovered
From the CBC: Newly found fossils could link to human ancestor
Two fossil skeletons found in South Africa are members of a previously unknown species that fits in the transition between ancient “ape-men” and humans, scientists say.
The newly discovered species, named Australopithecus sediba, has characteristics of both primitive ape-like species and later humans, and the research team behind the find says it’s the best candidate yet found for a direct ancestor of the lineage of humans.
This is another step in the process of evolution. If what has been reported is accurate, this species was capable of surviving in both the trees and on the ground, and was developing many of the cranial features of the later Homo erectus.
We now have evidence that there was no dominant hominid species until fairly recently, and Homo sapiens was the surviving branch of many variants, i.e. there were options until recently, and modern man was the winner.
We beat nature, now we need to survive our own actions.
3 comments
Nahhhh… Nature will win! She always does. 😀 I reckon She musta realized that *man* wasn’t gonna be a great idea after all and at the last minute snuc in teh stoopid gene to make sure we wouldn’t be a problem for very long! So far, it’s working out great. Ya just can’t beat ol’ Mom Nature, but teh stoopids are intent on tryin’!! 😛 😈
Yeah, Nature is a real mother.
I can’t read something like this announcement without remembering a Larsen cartoon showing a spelling bee, one of the contestants of which is some sort of earlier hominid. That contestant has just been assigned “Australopithecus” as his word.
.-= last blog ..American Tune =-.
At this point I often feel that we are nothing but workers on a the giant cockroach farm that is the earth. The cockroaches are the most efficient design for survival.
Too many people just don’t understand how badly humans have screwed things up.