Scientists Unveil Missing Link In Evolution

I'm a creationist but stuff like this always turns into a science vs. religion when both are based on two different things. Religion is set in stone, science is not. We all know that, so why do so many people insist on comparing science and religion?

Needless to say, my view on this whole Ida thing is that it isn't significant towards the whole darwin speil. It is significant to the scientific world, but it doesn't prove anything otherwise.

Wait I thought that Darwin's theory WAS explaining a program. Albeit a self created program but a program none the less. A program that involves coding parameters like gravity first creating the Earth and it spinning and having a molten core relating to the continents moving. I thought everything on Earth and outside of earth was a part in the programing? I am kind of lost here. You mean like a advanced being creating the code? Creating the code individually for each species? I am not sure what you mean. I AGREE with you that we can cure diseases through genetics but I am lost how that relates to evolution or programing.

What a bunch of crap. Every time anyone finds anything some fool tries to claim missing link status, which inevitably turns out to be just more BS. It's another throw off to keep your attention away from important things.

If you dismiss the grade school brainwashing it's really pretty ridicules to claim that a new species of ancient Lemur has more in common with a German than many things currently alive including myself.

I'm sorry but yet again I just can't buy this party line. Pure BS ~

This little monkey closed down the History Channel thread regarding the upcoming event on May 25th. My question is have we learned anything new from this find or is it as we thought the missing link might look like?

What I understand is that this little Lemur Gal has fingernails.

"Ida, properly known as Darwinius masillae, has a unique anatomy. The lemur-like skeleton features primate-like characteristics, including grasping hands, opposable thumbs, clawless digits with nails, and relatively short limbs."

"[Ida] is one of the important branching points on the evolutionary tree," Richmond said, "but it's not the only branching point."

Sauced from

news.nationalgeographic.com...

Opposable thumbs are THE HEAT in the animal kingdom! You can do CRAZY stuff with them! Like grab stuff and make houses and fire and stuff. Well, when you combine them with a good brain piece. Also having fingernails instead of big old claws helps to like grab junk and finer motor functions.

ummm i have only just studied this find, although i had heard about it..

WHAT THE FFFF ****

how in gods name have they concluded that we have evolved from that fossilized creature. It looks much more like a lizard. not monkey or man?? WTF!!? am i missing somthing here or what im baffled

And to say its the missing link is stupid, its nothing like man or ape. Ok it has fingers great, it dont mean jack #?

Sorry im just quite annoyed that this is being told like its the missing link as it clearly is not.

[edit on 19-5-2009 by theflashor]

reply to post by theflashor



I think the reason refer to it as a missing "LINK" is because evolution is like a bunch of chains and when we find fossils they are like individual links in the chain. What is MISSING are some parts that help to link multiple chains together. This little lemur girl might be a link that connects a lot of chains together farther back in history.

I understand the link they are talking about but, Man and ape are a world apart really, many would argue differently but they are. Show me the inbetween of the 2 and i shall be happy. But why isnt the inbetween alive now? it dont make sense and im not buying this theory yet. Im on the fence with the darwin theory. Although its logical its not prooven!

This really isnt as big of a find as its being hailed.

[edit on 19-5-2009 by theflashor]

reply to post by theflashor


No what this Lemur girl is saying is that this could be the ancestor of ALL primates! Every primate after this lemur girl could have come from her. Well not her directly but possibly her species! Or a large percentage of primates could have come from Darwinius (Lemur Girl). So Humans evolved from primates but primates evolved from Lemur girl. I prefer Lemur girl to Darwinius.

reply to post by TurkeyBurgers


Trust me my friend i understand what they are saying but to quote your own words.

could have come from her. Well not her directly but possibly her species

Could of??

Possibly??

Maybe??

We guess??

Its still not the missing link is it, really

I personally am glade they found the fossil but as someone who supports evolution I cant help but think that this isnt that big of a deal. We've been finding great fossils for sometime. This one may be another link and the importance of that it great, but they are really making a little too much out of it. Retroviral DNA imprints basically proved evolution enough for me, not to mention it fitting up with the predicted evolutionary tree of life, and then all the fossils...
What im trying to get at is that everyone who puts the effort into studying it will acknowledge evolution while those who deny it will continue to do so. The whole religion verses science factor doesn't really effect anything.

reply to post by theflashor


Well its like a detective following clues. What common traits do primates have that humans have? Fingernails, opposable thumbs. I guess one person could look at opposable thumbs and fingernails and say "Big Deal" but it IS a big deal! It means a lot. Finding a fossil that has these features IS a great indicator of common ancestry.

When all the smoke settles and we find we are a seed from another planet, then and only then will all the mysteries of history be revealed...

Till then all the religions and creationalist will be at each others throats with what ever ignorant view they can come up with...

Hey just me....

Come on everybody wake up thats a baby reptilian>>> Im mean it looks more like that than a monkey or Human

I think you guys underestimate how IMPORTANT opposable thumbs and fingernails are to Humans.

Many would argue that Dolphins are the Third smartest living creatures on Earth. They are kind of STUCK though. I think they could become as intelligent as a human but still not be able to do a hell of a lot with just flippers and a schnozz. Give a dolphin some hands with fingernails and opposable thumbs and it might far exceed primates.

Opposable thumbs and fingernails did not make us smart. They might have put us in a better position to survive by being able to access food and climb and escape enemies though. Which is very handy.

Why is it that only we - the humans are the only ones evolving from other animal races, as other animals never do this? THey just stick to their own kind(?)

Originally posted by kresh7
Why is it that only we - the humans are the only ones evolving from other animal races, as other animals never do this? THey just stick to their own kind(?)

I think that this whole post about this discovery is discussing just exactly that. Primates evolving from Lemur Girl.

reply to post by kresh7


Excellent point, what makes us the final link in the chain? I can see that its logical to come to that conclusion but its still not proove. The monkey and man connection is a far better example of darwins theory. I just feel that darwins theory is flawed some what.

Although i am not saying i do not beleive darwins theory im %95 sure it is the truth but still it has its flaws hence %95 sure. The point im making is the hype surrounding the find. It is not the missing link, NOT THE BIG ONE as the ape man missing link! wheres the fish with feet? Wheres the plants with a brain? The hype is over done and people should see it for what it is, a fosilized creature with fingers and fingernails. Yes it is a great find but really it isnt that important its not the big one!

[edit on 19-5-2009 by theflashor]

NOT THE BIG ONE as the ape man missing link! wheres the fish with feet? Wheres the plants with a brain? The hype is over done and people should see it for what it is, a fosilized creature with fingers and fingernails. Yes it is a great find but really it isnt that important its not the big one!

"Plants do not think in the way humans do, but they do take in information and respond to it. Plants take cues from their environment to ‘decide’ when to send up shoots, set buds or abscise leaves. Some plants react to attacks by predators by releasing chemical warning signals that are sensed by other plants in the area. Scientists are debating whether these reactions should be considered intelligent.

Researchers are studying signal transduction to learn more about how genetic and hormonal orders are carried out by plants. At present our understanding of the complex interactions of genes and environmental stimuli is limited. Recent research has found that plants have neurotransmitters very similar to those found in humans. A new field, plant neurobiology, has arisen to study the chemical mechanisms behind the growth of plants and their responses to the environment.

While conversations with plants seem unlikely, the research may lead to some limited communication with our green partners. One day it may be possible to read the chemical signs to determine a plant’s needs before obvious signs appear. "

Sauced from

www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org...

"The Red Parrot Fish
It is known that some cichlids can recognize the world outside their tank, and may follow fingers across the glass, etc. The red parrot fish, in particular, has been reported to be trained to eat out of the owner’s hands. It has a reputation for "intelligence," "personality," and the ability to adapt. Therefore, this fish seemed a good candidate to study.

The red parrot fish is a hybrid between two species: the golden severum and the red devils. These fish belong to the family Cichlidae, which contains over 1200 species, and are a representative of bony fish with a well-developed dorsal fin. Complex instinctual behaviors by these fish have been well studied. Using its protractile mouth, it has mastered some very complicated mouth breeding techniques.

The red parrot’s eye, which is one of the qualities of fish I tested, is similar to the eye of humans. We share the same basic visual structures: a cornea, an iris, a lens and a retina. The retina contains rods (which detect black and white), and/or cones (which detect color). The presence of cones in some fish’s eyes indicates that fish should be able to see color.

The Tests
I tested the fish in three different ways: discerning color, number and shapes. Here is the technique:

1. First, I trained the fish to follow my finger across the outside of the glass, and dropped food into the tank near my finger. This trained the fish to associate that "finger = food."
2. Then, I substituted an 8 cm red cap for my finger, and did the same thing (I used the lid of the TetraMin container). After several weeks, he was able to discern that the "red cap = food." Already, this demonstrated that the fish could make new connections of facts. He can learn!
3. Next, I did a test to see whether he could discern red from brown. First, I placed two small food granules on top of the red disk. With my index finger, I covered the food on the red cap. I put the index finger of my other hand on the same place on the brown disc - but no food was hidden on that side. Standing about half a meter away from the tank with the two discs close together, I paused for five seconds. Then I moved forward slowly, spreading the caps apart (I had to look up to avoid watching the fish, so that his movements would not influence me). Whichever circle the fish went to first (within a few centimeters) was his choice. When he was right, I gave him the food; when he was wrong, I did not. When he was wrong, I took the wrong cap away and showed him the right one. I would randomly switch which hand had the red cap. Then every two minutes I would repeat the experiment, five times total each night, recording the results each time.
4. After several weeks, I gave him a final test: five trials in the morning, and five trials in the evening for two days. Could he learn that "red = food" but "brown = no food?" If he could learn that, it would prove that he could distinguish colors as well.
5. Next, I tested if he could distinguish abstract symbols. I put a 3 cm "O" on one 8 cm diameter white paper disc, and a 3 cm "*" on another white paper disc. He only got the food reward if he first approached the "O" disc.
6. Finally, can he count? On one white disc, I placed a single 1 cm solid dot. On the other, I placed three of the dots. Could he be trained to come only to the single dot? "

Sauced from

www.aquahobby.com...

What are you looking for exactly for "The big one". A fish with a human brain? A plant that does the Cha Cha?

Sorry I did a fish with intelligence I should have posted up some

TIK TIK TIK Tiktaalik!

www.youtube.com...

Fish with feet.