Hominid evolution -- Ben's Message Board

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Subject: Hominid evolution

Author:
Karl

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Date Posted: 08/23/02 2:32am
In reply to: Ben 's message, "A Question Regarding Hominid Evolution" on 07/24/02 9:45am

The question has been over whether the side branches were significant. It is interesting that only one branch is not extinct - us. But this is not unique - there are other animals with no close relatives, just as there are languages, like Basque, that don't seem to be related to any others.

>Hi all,
>
>This is probably one for the scientists on our board
>(Brian, are you out there?), but anyone is welcome to
>attempt an answer.
>
>I get Time magazine, and I just read an article about
>a new hominid skull they found which they have dated
>to be around 6 or 7 million years old, making it the
>oldest one ever discovered. The thing that confused
>me was that the article indicated that many scientists
>question whether hominids evolved in a straight line
>up to humans, and are thinking that perhaps it
>happened more like a bush (some hominids evolving,
>then seeing their line die out, and even being in
>competition with other hominid lines).
>
>The thing that confused me about this was... I thought
>it was already understood that _all_ evolution
>operated in this bush-like way. Have scientists
>really thought that hominid evolution could have
>happened in some straight line without any failed
>attempts? Overall, I'm really asking if the person
>who wrote this article knew what he was talking about
>or not. Has the thinking really been that hominids
>have evolved in a line, or has this guy just been in
>the dark on current evolutionary thinking?
>
>Thanks,
>Ben

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Replies:

Subject	Author	Date
hominind evolution	mredd	08/30/02 2:49am