Scientists attempt to redraw human family tree, again

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
9/9/2011
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

Recent discovery places a new ancestor in the human evolutionary lineage.

Meet your new grandmother. Or your very, very, very great grandmother at least. According to paleoanthropologists, a new species of pre-human ancestor has been discovered in Africa, and they believe it is a direct ancestor of modern humans. Other scientists disagree, but still say the find is important.

Is this the skull of the grandmother of all humans? Scientists and people debate the claim.

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LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Described as an apelike creature with human features, two sets of fossils found in a South African cave, are being hailed as a fantastic new discovery for those who study human evolution.

The two sets of fossil bones belong to two creatures, one believed to be between 10 and 13 years old and the other, a female, believed to be around 30.

If the scientific community accepts the claims of paleoanthropologist Lee Berger, from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, the discoverer of the fossils, it may redraw their map of the human evolutionary tree placing this new species in the same evolutionary line as humans. The new creatures are known to science as, Australopithecus sediba, and they lived approximately 1.977 million years ago.

While scientists debate the lineage of the fossils, they seem to agree that they have some unique features. The fossils have a mix of apelike and human features.

Berger said, "The fossils demonstrate a surprisingly advanced but small brain, a very evolved hand with a long thumb like a human's, a very modern pelvis, but a foot and ankle shape never seen in any hominin species that combines features of both apes and humans in one anatomical package. The many very advanced features found in the brain and body and the earlier date make it possibly the best candidate ancestor for our genus, the genus Homo, more so than previous discoveries such as Homo habilis."

In plain English, the fossil may be another "missing link" species that connects humans to pre-human ancestors and both modern and ancient apes.
Scientists and the general public will likely debate where Australopithecus sediba belongs in the human family tree, if at all, for a very long time to come.

The find has been detailed in the September 9 issue of the journal Science.

What do you think? Do you feel Australopithecus sediba belongs in your family tree? Comment below.

� 2011, Catholic Online. Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM.

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Keywords: Australopithecus sediba, evolution, missing link, homo, hominid, species

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1 - 5 of 5 Comments

Douglas
1 year ago
Stephen, the Church did not disagree with Galileo, just his methods. After all, who theorized about the Big Bang? Priests. The heliocentric model of the Solar Sytem? Another Church-trained man, Copernicus (in Latin). A Catholic Monk created modern optics. And so on. The Church has been at the forefront of science for centuries.
Tak
1 year ago
"Again"
My father went to a Catholic school back in the 60's, and the nuns taught him about evolution. No sarcasm, no bitterness. The Church decided long ago that evolution IS compatible with the Bible since the 6-day creation is not usually taken literally. Their message was an encouraging one: Science is not in conflict with the Bible. Our religion is not threatened by scientific discoveries. But it looks like the Evangelical Protestants have screamed loud and long enough to change Catholic beliefs. The Catholic church wouldn't be losing so many members if it was less hostile to Science and Reason.

The article states: "In plain English, the fossil may be another "missing link" species that connects humans to pre-human ancestors and both modern and ancient apes."

Stop. The "missing link" phrase is misleading and gives less-educated people the misconception that scientists change their mind about *THE* missing link every few months. If you meet someone new at a family reunion you don't call them "the missing link", you call them a relative, (or a possible relative if you haven't quite worked out HOW you are related). Homo habilis, Australopithecus africanus and afarensis are still our relatives. Scientists just aren't sure whether they are our cousins who branched off from an earlier relative, or direct ancestors that we descend from.

Since DNA shows ape and human ancestors diverged around 8 million years ago, this new discovery (1.9 million yrs old) is not a candidate in any way for the "missing link" between us and apes. It is however a probable link between our Australopithecine ancestors (like Lucy) and our early Homo ancestors (like Turkana Boy). Just because a new discovery bumps another one out of the running for "most direct" ancestor, it doesn't mean that the loser is no longer a relative. They've just gone from great-great-great-etc mother, to great-great-great-etc cousin. We're still family, and their are still Catholics who believe Science and Religion can coexist.
Rafael Blumenthal Dentist
1 year ago
The Premolar look like by a Homo sapiens from Today. So like I
see this Fossil it is really a ancestor 1. 977 Million years ago from as.
Rafael Blumenthal
neve
1 year ago
To believe that systems in nature naturaly evolve from a simple functionality to complex functionality without intentional external interference is.., well, nonsense.
When ever scientists observe in nature on planet Mars anything that may resemble some apparently organized shape they will instinctively atribute that organization to a potentialy inteligent causer. But not here on earth. Do yyou think there is an undercurrent of thought to undercut the credit to a Creator we call God?
Stephen Diehl
1 year ago
In the headline: Again? Why the sarcasm? The very point that science can ammend a theory with new info is what makes it so great. The church has the opposite rep don't you think?
Here's my headline: "Church says Galilio was right, finally"

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