Archaeologica.org

Possible New Hominid Species Discovered, Thanks To Google Earth

The BBC is reporting on fossil finds 'uncovered in cave deposits near Malapa in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site near Johannesburg.' The fossils of a mature female and juvenile male have '...small teeth, projecting nose, very advanced pelvis, and long legs ...' suggesting more modern forms. 'And yet its very long arms and small brain case might echo the much older Australopithecine group to which Professor Berger and colleagues have assigned it.' Aside from the debate as to classification, the find is noteworthy in that its discovery came about 'thanks to the "virtual globe" software Google Earth, which allowed the group to map and visualise the most promising fossil grounds in the World Heritage Site.' Further, the find in a cave bears the hallmarks of chance that often plays so large a part in fossilisation. 'Their bones were laid down with the remains of other dead animals, including a sabre-toothed cat, antelope, mice and rabbits. The fact that none of the bodies appear to have been scavenged indicates that all died suddenly and were entombed rapidly.'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8609192.stm

Amazing: it's already part of the common body of knowledge, it's already in Wikipedia!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australopithecus_sediba.

.' The fossils of a mature female and juvenile male have '...small teeth, projecting nose, very advanced pelvis, and long legs ...' suggesting more modern forms.

I can hear the Creationists screaming for more "transitional forms!!!!!"

The way I interpret the comments Australopithecus sediba, contemporary to ergaster and erectus, looks to have been another dead end street. Like the Hobbitt, HN, the Hottentots, HR, etc. are currently widely considered to have been. Reinforcing the apparent evolutionary principle that, in the long run, species' extinction is the rule, while species' evolution is the exception.
Although that is of course dependent on the applied definition of speciation, and the interpretation of finds, as they could well have been hybrid individuals of 2 species, that we ignorantly have elevated to distinct separate specieshood.

South Africa is a treasure trove of Australopithecine fossils, while the fossils of both their grandma, Lucy, and their contemporary variants that would eventually evolve into Homo habilis, Homo ergaster, and Homo erectus originate from around Lake Turkana in north-west Kenya. An arid, tectonically and volcanically active area on top of the African fault line: the Rift Valley.

Could any significance be read in that distribution – as in: the Australopithecines that went south stayed archaic while the northern ones evolved into homo – or would that distribution simply be the result of a combination of pure accident and relative convenience (building on past exploration in those areas)? I suspect the latter.

What say you?

Rokcet Scientist wrote:The way I interpret the comments Australopithecus sediba, contemporary to ergaster and erectus, looks to have been another dead end street. Like the Hobbitt, HN, the Hottentots, HR, etc. are currently widely considered to have been. Reinforcing the apparent evolutionary principle that, in the long run, species' extinction is the rule, while species' evolution is the exception.
Although that is of course dependent on the applied definition of speciation, and the interpretation of finds, as they could well have been hybrid individuals of 2 species, that we ignorantly have elevated to distinct separate specieshood.

South Africa is a treasure trove of Australopithecine fossils, while the fossils of both their grandma, Lucy, and their contemporary variants that would eventually evolve into Homo habilis, Homo ergaster, and Homo erectus originate from around Lake Turkana in north-west Kenya. An arid, tectonically and volcanically active area on top of the African fault line: the Rift Valley.

Could any significance be read in that distribution – as in: the Australopithecines that went south stayed archaic while the northern ones evolved into homo – or would that distribution simply be the result of a combination of pure accident and relative convenience (building on past exploration in those areas)? I suspect the latter.

What say you?

How about mere coincidence involving preservation of fossil materiels?

I can hear the Creationists screaming for more "transitional forms!!!!!"

But what I don't hear them screaming is their description of what a 'transitional form' would look like.
One long leg and one short one perhaps?

Roy.

Australopithecus sediba has been scanned in 3D:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8615424.stm

Digit wrote:

I can hear the Creationists screaming for more "transitional forms!!!!!"

But what I don't hear them screaming is their description of what a 'transitional form' would look like.
One long leg and one short one perhaps?

Roy.

i don't know about that. Those legs look the same length to me.

Hint: It's the head.

Nah, i think the head is a red herring.

A bird with teeth? Since they say that birds evolved out of flying dinosaurs millions of years ago, guess this little guy is a regression or maybe de-evolving.

Digit wrote:I can hear the Creationists screaming for more "transitional forms!!!!!"

That Crocoduck is a problem!
It won't just eat old bread!
I heard a rumour they're on a diet of testicles, that they're fast-moving, and that they can easily jump 4 feet high...!
They need to be shot on sight!