YET ANOTHER “COMMON ANCESTOR” FOUND

Dateline:  July 2, 2009   A new fossil primate from Myanmar suggests that the common ancestor of humans, monkeys and apes evolved from primates in Asia, not Africa as many researchers believe. Illustration credit:  Mark A. Klingler/Carnegie Museum of Natural History)  Read More →

LARGER POPULATIONS TRIGGERED STONE AGE LEARNING

The flowering of intelligence that brought sophisticated tools, better weapons and art came about because of population density: More people started living in bigger communities. Image from http://www.aasd.k12.wi.us/staff/boldtkatherine/images/stoneage.jpg  Read More →

OLDEST KNOWN POTTERY FOUND IN CHINESE CAVE

The pieces - dated late Paleolithic, 14,000 to 21,000 years old, were most likely made and used by early foragers in the Yangzi Basin in the Hunan Province. Image from http://www.bu.edu/asianarc/images/fieldprojects/fp_y08.jpg  Read More →

SCIENTISTS DOUBT 47-MILLION YEAR OLD FOSSIL IS YOUR ANCESTOR

The “Ida” team points to the fact that some the fossil’s teeth, toe and ankle bones resemble anthropoids more than modern lemurs. But other researchers point out that primitive lemurs, as opposed to modern lemurs, also share many of these features.  Richard Kay of Duke University said the researchers did not compare Ida to other important fossil primates from this time, especially those from a group called Eosimiads, that could... Read more

HUMAN PRIMATE ANCESTOR (AKA MISSING LINK) FOUND?

Scientists have dug up the 47 million-year-old fossil of an ancient primate whose features suggest it could be the common ancestor of all later monkeys, apes and humans.  The discovery bolsters the position that our ancient ape-like ancestor was an adapid, the believed precursor of lemurs. Picture:  The Link / Atlantic Productions See also link at Sky News (with video);  Read More →

NEANDERTHALS WERE KNOWLEDGEABLE HUNTERS

Not only were Neanderthals hunters, their hunting was knowledge intensive and capable of capturing the most impressive animals.  Read More →

THE VENUS OF HOHLE FELS

The discovery of the Venus of Hohle Fels refutes claims that figurative representations and other symbolic artifacts first appear the later phases of the Swabian Aurignacian. Pharyngula also blogged about this, under “Heidi Klum Has A Rival.”    Myers suggested that artifacts of Christ on the cross would make about as much sense to future researchers as this figurine does to us. Some researchers are skeptical of that claim. In their... Read more