The recent landmark discovery of two fossils in South Africa has predictably re-opened debates between evolutionists and creationists. Two articles published in the journal ‘Science’ make the very bold statement that these fossils are actually members of a new species that “might help reveal the ancestor” of the genus Homo. While newspaper headlines have been quick to trumpet this find as the long-awaited “missing link,” both scientists and creationists can agree on one thing at least: That this probably is not it because there really is no such thing!
While we can easily understand why creationists would espouse such thinking, many readers may be confused as to why evolutionists might be agreeing with them (on this one issue at least!). Well, first of all because the scientists behind this fossil find – now named as Australopithecus sediba – make no such claim for it, and secondly because most evolutionists now reject the term “missing link” because it implies a chain in evolution rather than the more widely accepted tree model.
The story of Australopithecus sediba is by now, well known to most South Africans. Paleoanthropologist Lee R. Berger of the University of Witwatersrand was out on a fossil-find with his then nine-year old son, Matthew, who first stumbled upon a piece of skeleton. Matthew’s find interested Berger enough to lead numerous official expeditions into the area where they eventually uncovered two ancient skeletons in remarkable condition.
During a press conference last Thursday, Professor Berger stated that, “They (the fossils), ladies and gentlemen, are potentially a Rosetta stone into the past."
However, others are casting doubts about the discovery, saying that they might not even prove to be a new species as has been claimed in the scientific papers.
"The origins of the genus Homo remain as murky as ever," commented Dr. Daniel E. Lieberman, professor of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard.
Berger's research team is presently looking for preserved proteins in the skeletons, which they hope might contain dried brain remnant. If the brain yields soft tissue, there is a small chance the researchers could find DNA that might eventually uncover the genetic code for Sediba.
"We shall wait and see," said Berger.
The lead scientist said the newly described fossils date between 1.95 million and 1.78 million years in age, says the Christian Post.
(For the full article, please go to http://christianpost.com).
(Photo: University of the Witwatersrand / Brett Eloff)