47 Million Yr Old Transitional Primate Fossil Found

[Julessleuther]

Cypros- My son wants to be an archaeologist! I took an Anthro class last fall and found it fascinating!

 

[yosande]

Yikes!

My grandparents were born at the beginning of the 1900s and it used to annoy them when younger people assumed they must have spent their childhoods fighting off the Indians. Hell, they thought I was an idiot for asking if they rode the bicycles with the giant, front wheels!

I can't imagine what they would have said had they been asked if they kept dinosaurs for pets.

We must get the word out in this country that while one has a right to believe nonsense, it isn't a virtue.

:U There::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::toast:

 

[Hopeful One]

Fascinating stuff!!! I know little to nothing about archaeology, anthropology and evolution but I love to learn. I've been following all the links and reading since I got into to work at 8:00. Oops. Maybe I should actually work....

 

[gaia227]

At least they will be well-informed and not go through life making ignorant statements like "Evolutionists claim that we evolved from chimpanzees." or "If evolution is real then how do you explain the eye?" or, my favorite, "Evolution is just a theory." :banghead: Such statements are clear indicators that the person has no comprehension of the evolution process or scientific method.

Does your mom teach in Kansas? or Texas maybe? They have that funny museum showing humans coexisting with dinosaurs.

Respectfully snipped.

Are you trying to tell me that one day a chimp didn't squat and poo out a little human? Nonsense! :angel:

Your close! My mom teaches in Missouri in the heart of the "Bible Belt" and it is a very conservative area. When I was in high school they were not allowed to teach evolution at all in high school biology and science classes and that was only 10 yrs ago.

The museum you are referring to is in Kentucky. It has exhibits showing humans riding around on dinosaurs and teaching this stuff as FACT. Oh, it is so frustrating. I looked it up on the computer before out of curiousity. Bill Maher did a piece on it in his documentary Religilous (sp?) which was pretty hilarious.

 

[Cypros]

Hey gaia,

Yep. That is the museum. I saw Maher's coverage but thought it was in Texas.

I give your mom credit. I don't think they could pay me enough to teach in secondary education these days. The schools are held hostage by testing ("No Child Left Behind") and parents and students who impose their own ideologies and limited perspective on education and knowledge onto the public school system. On top of that your mother is teaching science and evolution -- both of which have been undermined by conservative politics. She deserves kudos!

 

[Cypros]

Cypros- My son wants to be an archaeologist! I took an Anthro class last fall and found it fascinating!

That's great! There is some amazing research going on all around the world. But tell your son that he is going to have to work hard, get good grades, learn languages, history, art history, sciences. Lol! It is really an all encompassing field with many options and possibility for adventure. Job are scarce, though, and so he will need to make himself competitive.

 

[gaia227]

Hey gaia,

Yep. That is the museum. I saw Maher's coverage but thought it was in Texas.

I give your mom credit. I don't think they could pay me enough to teach in secondary education these days. The schools are held hostage by testing ("No Child Left Behind") and parents and students who impose their own ideologies and limited perspective on education and knowledge onto the public school system. On top of that your mother is teaching science and evolution -- both of which have been undermined by conservative politics. She deserves kudos!

She actually teaches at a university...sad but true. A lot of these kids are coming from high schools where they were not taught anything about evolution and so the entire concept has been warped by media, parents, religious and political affliations, etc, etc.

Did anyone watch Discovering Ardi last night on the Discovery Channel? She is definitely a very unique find which sheds just a little more light on our family tree. Her feet are amazing!

 

[Hopeful One]

She actually teaches at a university...sad but true. A lot of these kids are coming from high schools where they were not taught anything about evolution and so the entire concept has been warped by media, parents, religious and political affliations, etc, etc.

Did anyone watch Discovering Ardi last night on the Discovery Channel? She is definitely a very unique find which sheds just a little more light on our family tree. Her feet are amazing!

Darn, I wish I had caught that. I'm sure they'll repeat it. I'll have to keep my eye out for it so I can catch it if they show it again.

 

[Cypros]

She actually teaches at a university...sad but true. A lot of these kids are coming from high schools where they were not taught anything about evolution and so the entire concept has been warped by media, parents, religious and political affliations, etc, etc.

Did anyone watch Discovering Ardi last night on the Discovery Channel? She is definitely a very unique find which sheds just a little more light on our family tree. Her feet are amazing!

It is hard to believe that a college student is complaining about course content in this way. If they elect to enroll in a college course on anthropology, biology, etc. they have to expect that there will be evolution. If they don't like it they can drop the course. It is their choice.

I taped the Ardi show but did not have a chance to watch it yet. I am compiling my documents for tenure review and so things are pretty crazy. I am looking forward to it.

 

[Nova]

It is hard to believe that a college student is complaining about course content in this way. If they elect to enroll in a college course on anthropology, biology, etc. they have to expect that there will be evolution. If they don't like it they can drop the course. It is their choice.

I taped the Ardi show but did not have a chance to watch it yet. I am compiling my documents for tenure review and so things are pretty crazy. I am looking forward to it.

Good luck with your review, Cypros! I know you deserve it, but also know that factors other than merit sometimes dominate. I'll keep my fingers crossed!

 

[bykerladi]

Last time I checked, evolution WAS just a theory, just as intelligent design is a theory. No fossils have been found to support either theory. So when fossils like Ida are found, its important to look at both sides of the issue. Here's the opposite perspective:

http://www.icr.org/article/ida-fossil-clever-campaign-for-lackluster/
http://www.americanscientist.org/bookshelf/pub/the-weakest-link
http://us1.harunyahya.com/Detail/T/.../SCIENTISTS_ARE_EMBARRASSED_BY_THE_IDA_CIRCUS
http://www.helium.com/items/1462023-ida-is-not-the-primate-missing-link

 

[Brwnigirl]

Gaia/Cypros:
Haven't read all the links but wasn't Ida found a long time ago? I think I studied her in university years ago, and there was controversy then in my Human Origins class?? Am I mixed up??

 

[bykerladi]

Scientists now decide Ida isn't a relative after all...

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...SSIL?SITE=NJTRT&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT