|
|
|
| Did early humans ever have dinosaur pets like in the Flintstones? Ans: The dinosaurs largely went extinct at 65 million years ago, probably as the result of an asteroid colliding with the earth. It wasn't until after 65 million years ago that mammals appeared in large numbers and the first primates appeared. And since humans did not appear until the last 100,000 years or so, no human ever had the pleasure of riding a dinosaur. Are there "Missing Links" in the fossil record? Ans: Some time periods are better represented in the fossil record because the geological and climactic conditions were advantageous for preserving those fossils and because those areas are currently well suited to finding those fossils, because the climate is arid and little vegetation is present. For example, two time windows -- 18 to 14 million years ago in Western Kenya and after 8 million years ago in the Rift Valley -- favor fossilization, but fewer fossils have been discovered that date to between 14 and 8 million years ago. Why do new fossil finds regularly make the news? Ans: Paleoanthropologists work with a relatively small number of fossil specimens, given the millions of years of evolution they are studying. So they must formulate the specifics of their theory based on the evidence they have on hand, but as new fossils are discovered they must necessarily re-evaluate their theories in the light of possible new evidence. Therefore new fossil discoveries regularly make the news, although it is often years after the initial announcement of a fossil discovery until its full importance and meaning has been determined. Note that creationists often point out that such announcements must mean that researchers on human evolution are constantly trying to "cover up" holes in their theories, and that this indicates there is something wrong. On the contrary, these announcements indicate that researchers are actively incorporating new evidence. Additionally, some creationists overlook an important distinction: researchers of primate evolution are typically struggling over the relationships between specific fossil species, what kind of diet and mobility adaptations the fossils indicate, or the dates associated with specific fossils, NOT over whether there is a clear pattern of evolution from simple to higher primates from 65 million years ago to the present. Did humans evolve from chimpanzees or gorillas? Ans: No. Humans did not evolve from chimpanzees or gorillas. However, humans and the great apes do share a common ancestor, and this will be explored in the upcoming chapters. |