Scientists have discovered fossilized bones of what may be our first upright-walking relative.
The bones were uncovered in February at a site called Mille, which is in the northeastern Afar region of Ethiopia. They are estimated to be 4 million years old.
The fossils include a complete tibia from the lower part of the leg, parts of a thighbone, ribs, vertebrae, a collarbone, pelvis and a complete shoulder blade, or scapula. There also is an ankle bone that, with the tibia, which scientist state proves that this is a human-like find.
One blogger takes issue with the way this story is being reported in the press. I find this interesting since I’ve noticed no one else questioning this news. Over at the blog, Anywhere But Here, Kris writes …
Proof positive?
I know there’s been some heated debate about the Intelligent Design theory of creation lately around the blogosphere, and I will admit to being a person who has faith in this theory. Notice that I say FAITH. It’s the same FAITH that adherents of evolutionary theory have, only they don’t want you to think that their theory requires any leaps of faith.
All that as a background, however, I am not going to stand up and shout that I know the exact age of the earth and that I know how it all happened. I don’t. And neither do they. The problems arise when those who believe we evolved over millions of years become so firmly entrenched in academia that they then have the ability to put forth their notions as facts, when they’re really not.
Stories like this one on today’s wire: Bones Found Push Record of Humans Back Nearly 200,000 Years, in which we’re given these nebulous guesstimations:
Researchers now believe some human bones that were uncovered nearly 40 years ago in Ethiopia are nearly 200,000 years old — perhaps dating back to near the time modern humans first emerged.
Until now, the oldest known fossils of Homo sapiens were Ethiopian skulls from about 160,000 years ago.
An author of a study of the bones said it’s believed Homo sapiens arose about 200,000 years ago.
The fossils were found near a river in Ethiopia. At one location, there was part of a skull plus skeletal bones. Another site produced a second set, with more of a skull but no skeletal bones.
In the journal Nature, the researchers said they’ve revised the estimate of how old the bones are, after visiting the discovery site and testing rock samples with more modern techniques.
Notice the words “believed”… “estimated”… “perhaps”… but rest assured that this is being touted in science classes all over this country now, and treated as FACT. Folks, they don’t KNOW. They have guesses, but who knows how far off their guesses are? Or whether they’re even in the ballpark? It’s voodoo science, but it’s being passed off as legitimate and factual.
I don’t mind having theories discussed in my kids’ science classes. I do mind having one theory given more credence than the other.
Of course Kris is right … It is an interesting discovery but the so-called scientific assumptions that this was the first human is a scientific stretch to say the least!
Murdok | Breaking eBusiness News
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