Prehistoric skull found in dump may be missing common ancestor of apes & humans

The Guardian ^ | Monday November 7, 2005 | Dale Fuchs in Madrid

[dead]

Palaeontologists excavating a dump outside Barcelona have found a skull dating back 14m years that could belong to a common ancestor of apes and humans.

The nearly intact skull, which has a flat face, jaw and teeth, may belong to a previously unknown species of great ape, said Salvador Moya, the chief palaeontologist on the dig. "We could find a cradle of humanity in the Mediterranean," he said.

A routine land survey for a planned expansion of the Can Mata dump in Els Hostalets de Pierola turned up the first surprise in 2002: a primate's tooth.

Since then, scientists from the Miquel Crusafont Institute of Palaeontology in Sabadell have unearthed nearly 12,000 fossils of primates and other animals that lived during the Middle Miocene era - between 14m and 8m years ago - when the area was covered by tropical rainforest and populated by the precursors of today's elephants, antelopes and monkeys.

Last year, the team found a 13m-year-old partial skeleton, also believed to be a common ancestor of apes and humans - a male fruit-eater, nicknamed Pau.

"If there is a place in the world where it is possible to find an entire skeleton of a common ancestor to the great apes and humans, it is Hostalets de Pierola," Mr Moya told El País newspaper. "In few places [will] you uncover so many connected vertebrae in such good condition."

The Can Mata dump sits above clay soil in which animal remains became trapped and well-preserved.

[Senator Bedfellow]

Apparently, this critter had some features of a primate and some of a monkey...

Not to nitpick overmuch, but monkeys are primates - the two groups are not mutually exclusive, although not all primates are monkeys ;)

Anyway, perhaps you meant "ape" instead of "primate"?

[Matchett-PI]

LOL!!

[AntiGuv]

Are you certain that's the 14m find being reported here, rather than this find from last year:

Last year, the team found a 13m-year-old partial skeleton, also believed to be a common ancestor of apes and humans - a male fruit-eater, nicknamed Pau.

[Busywhiskers]

Nebraska not doing well this year?

[Oztrich Boy]

Would that be the original Patrick Henry who was a creationist?

It is unlikely that the original Patrick Henry was a creationist, as creationism was only invented by Ellen G White in the 1880s

[Coyoteman]

The details on these finds are in PatrickHenry's List-O-Links.

Would that be the original Patrick Henry who was a creationist?

No, that would be the PatrickHenry on these crevo threads. If you have a question for him, you might ask. Be warned, he does not generally reply to trolls.

[Rightwing Conspiratr1]

It is unlikely that the original Patrick Henry was a creationist, as creationism was only invented by Ellen G White in the 1880s

Wrong! Creationism was invented by God.

[skinkinthegrass]

Og Hoffa...or Throg Hoffa?...ala Gary Larson. :D

[MineralMan]

"Would that be the original Patrick Henry who was a creationist?"

That's pretty funny, there, razorbak. Since the original Patrick Henry predated Darwin by quite a bit, there would have been no conflict.

The concept of creationism as an opposing idea to the theory of evolution could not have occurred before Darwin published.

Nice try, though....

[jennyp]

My response to this is to cite the dismal record of so-called missing links:

Nebraska man
Java man
Piltdown man
Orce man

I'd never heard of Orce man before. It sounds as dishonest as Nebraska Man, which is to say not at all.

Anyway, have you ever heard of Homo habilis? Homo erectus? (multiple fossils of each - Java Man is a perfectly legitimate H. erectus) Turkana Boy? Or any of the other dozens of fossils on this page?

Have you ever heard of Paluxy Man?

[Brofholdonow]

Probably a radical vegetarian.

[MineralMan]

"Not to nitpick overmuch, but monkeys are primates - the two groups are not mutually exclusive, although not all primates are monkeys ;)

Anyway, perhaps you meant "ape" instead of "primate"?"

---

Right you are, of course. I typed faster than my brain worked. It happens. It's hell getting old....

[Beagle8U]

I have always wondered about a few things about the evolution crowd..

Do you think that when their life turns to crap, and death is near, Do they pray to Darwin?

AND..Why would an educated group of people spare no expense in trying to prove that they are really monkeys?

I'm sure you can't answer that, but I've often wondered.

[MortMan]

I worked with that guy, once. He got promoted to management!

[highball]

Evilution Theology bump.

And once again, when a creationist wants to insult evolution, he calls it "religion."

"Very revealing" placemarker.

[Matchett-PI]

"Any pictures?"

Just a reconstruction:

[PatrickHenry]

From time to time, it's necessary to point out that the original Patrick Henry lived and died before Darwin published Origin of Species, so what he might have thought about evolution -- if anything -- is irrelevant.

[skinkinthegrass]

Any pictures?

**Blinded! D@mn!...5 min. later.**

Helen Thomas..SHE shows up.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[MineralMan]

"I have always wondered about a few things about the evolution crowd..

Do you think that when their life turns to crap, and death is near, Do they pray to Darwin"

---

Pretty funny. Those Christians and Jews who are proponents of the theory of evolution no doubt pray to the same deity you do.

Others, like myself, have no belief in supernatural entities and generally reflect on their lives as they near death. The knowledge of that generally helps atheists to maximize their potential and live as good a life as possible, since that's all there is.