The Panda's Thumb
1. In what present day and continent was "Lucy" discovered?
The most famous of these fossils, nicknamed Lucy, was found in 1974 near Hadar, Ethiopia (Africa continent).
2. Who discovered the fossil remains that became known as "Lucy"?
Donald Johanson, an American anthropologist and curator at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and his graduate student Tom Gray.
3. What other famous anthropologist/paleontologist got into a dispute with the team that discovered "Lucy”? What was the argument about?
The other famous was paleoanthropologists Tim White; Johanson and White argue that Afar specimens and Mary Leakey’s Laetoli fossils are identical in form and belong to the same species.
4. Which hominid taxonomic group is "Lucy" placed into?
"Lucy" it is placed into in to the taxonomic group called hominid (Australopithecus afarensis), which includes all primates including chimpanzees, orangutans & gorillas.
5. Why is "Lucy" not considered an ancestor of modern apes, even if her jaw looks like that chimpanzee?
Although the specimens of Au. Afarensis indicated that Lucy's jaw was rather unlike other hominins, having a more gorilla-like appearance, “Lucy's pelvis and leg bones clearly show that Au. Afarensis walked as erect as you and I”; also Lucy’s pelvic structure indicates bipedal posture;
6. Identify one of the “modern tools” that is being used to determine the relationship between different related species. Why do anthropologist turn to this tool and not just depend on fossils to formulate hypotheses on human evolution?
One of the modern tool is the molecular evolution. Now students can establish a molecular clock to predict times of divergence for pairs of species without good fossil evidence of ancestry.
7. According to Gould what is the range of years when the “ Ape-Hominid ” split (divergence) occurred? What group of compounds did they base their hypothesis on?
The range of years is more than fourteen million years ago. Ramapithecus, an animal
The most famous of these fossils, nicknamed Lucy, was found in 1974 near Hadar, Ethiopia (Africa continent).
2. Who discovered the fossil remains that became known as "Lucy"?
Donald Johanson, an American anthropologist and curator at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and his graduate student Tom Gray.
3. What other famous anthropologist/paleontologist got into a dispute with the team that discovered "Lucy”? What was the argument about?
The other famous was paleoanthropologists Tim White; Johanson and White argue that Afar specimens and Mary Leakey’s Laetoli fossils are identical in form and belong to the same species.
4. Which hominid taxonomic group is "Lucy" placed into?
"Lucy" it is placed into in to the taxonomic group called hominid (Australopithecus afarensis), which includes all primates including chimpanzees, orangutans & gorillas.
5. Why is "Lucy" not considered an ancestor of modern apes, even if her jaw looks like that chimpanzee?
Although the specimens of Au. Afarensis indicated that Lucy's jaw was rather unlike other hominins, having a more gorilla-like appearance, “Lucy's pelvis and leg bones clearly show that Au. Afarensis walked as erect as you and I”; also Lucy’s pelvic structure indicates bipedal posture;
6. Identify one of the “modern tools” that is being used to determine the relationship between different related species. Why do anthropologist turn to this tool and not just depend on fossils to formulate hypotheses on human evolution?
One of the modern tool is the molecular evolution. Now students can establish a molecular clock to predict times of divergence for pairs of species without good fossil evidence of ancestry.
7. According to Gould what is the range of years when the “ Ape-Hominid ” split (divergence) occurred? What group of compounds did they base their hypothesis on?
The range of years is more than fourteen million years ago. Ramapithecus, an animal