Romans 1:22 NIV
"ASU scientists uncover new fossils — and a new species of ancient human ancestor (Arizona State, 13 Aug 2025). Science Daily gave its copy of this press release a more provocative title: “Ancient fossil discovery in Ethiopia rewrites human origins.”
"ASU scientists uncover new fossils — and a new species of ancient human ancestor (Arizona State, 13 Aug 2025). Science Daily gave its copy of this press release a more provocative title: “Ancient fossil discovery in Ethiopia rewrites human origins.”
Q: How many times have we heard that refrain before?
But of course, such rewrites are always put in a positive light: the
new fossils “shed new light on human evolution.” It would be more accurate to say that evolutionary paleoanthropologists are stubbing their toes in the dark.
Most interesting in the press release is this statement that demolishes (again) the iconic March of Human Progress:
“This new research shows that the image many of us have in our minds of an ape to a Neanderthal to a modern human is not correct — evolution doesn’t work like that,” ASU paleoecologist Kaye Reed said. “Here we have two hominin species that are together. And human evolution is not linear — it’s a bushy tree; there are life forms that go extinct.”
The “new species of ancient human ancestor” alluded to in the headline is another ape: another Australopithecine, but not Lucy’s brother.
“This new research shows that the image many of us have in our minds of an ape to a Neanderthal to a modern human is not correct — evolution doesn’t work like that,” ASU paleoecologist Kaye Reed said. “Here we have two hominin species that are together. And human evolution is not linear — it’s a bushy tree; there are life forms that go extinct.”
The “new species of ancient human ancestor” alluded to in the headline is another ape: another Australopithecine, but not Lucy’s brother.
A team of international scientists has discovered new fossils at a field site in Africa that indicate Australopithecus and the oldest specimens of Homo coexisted at the same place in Africa at the same time — between 2.6 million and 2.8 million years ago.
The paleoanthropologists discovered a new species of Australopithecus that has never been found anywhere.
The new ape fossil evidence is fragmentary, however: only 13 teeth. (Reminder: mistakes were made with teeth before in early man studies: for instance, Nebraska Man). But the researchers have convinced themselves that the teeth are not from the same species as Lucy, which was named by its discoverer, Donald Johanson, Australopithecus [Southern Ape] afarensis [from the Afar region of Ethiopia]. They need more fossils to figure out what to call this new ape species that screeched from Afar.
The most notable take-away from this typical yarn is the first quotation above:
“This new research shows that the image many of us have in our
minds of an ape to a Neanderthal to a modern human is not correct — evolution doesn’t work like that,” ASU paleoecologist Kaye Reed said. “Here we have two hominin species that are together. And human evolution is not linear — it’s a bushy tree; there are life forms that go extinct.”
*It obliterates one of the most iconic propaganda tools of the Darwin Party. But notice, too, that the icon has survived (“many of us have in our minds”) decades of other falsifying discoveries like this one." CEH
The new ape fossil evidence is fragmentary, however: only 13 teeth. (Reminder: mistakes were made with teeth before in early man studies: for instance, Nebraska Man). But the researchers have convinced themselves that the teeth are not from the same species as Lucy, which was named by its discoverer, Donald Johanson, Australopithecus [Southern Ape] afarensis [from the Afar region of Ethiopia]. They need more fossils to figure out what to call this new ape species that screeched from Afar.
The most notable take-away from this typical yarn is the first quotation above:
“This new research shows that the image many of us have in our
*It obliterates one of the most iconic propaganda tools of the Darwin Party. But notice, too, that the icon has survived (“many of us have in our minds”) decades of other falsifying discoveries like this one." CEH
