Early Hominid Fossil Find (broadcast Friday, October 2nd, 2009)
This week, researchers unveiled several studies of an early hominid known as Ardipithecus ramidus. The fossil skeleton of the female homind, nicknamed 'Ardi,' was found in the Ethiopian desert. It has been dated to be 4.4 million years old, 1.2 million years older than the famous skeleton of 'Lucy,' an Australopithecus afarensis. Writing in the journal Science this week, teams of scientists lay out their analysis of different parts of the Ardi find. We'll find out how those studies affect our understanding of human and ape evolution.
Guests
Ian Tattersall
Author, "The Fossil Trail: How We Know What We Think We Know About Human Evolution" (Oxford University Press, 2008)
Curator, Anthropology
American Museum of Natural History
New York, New York
Related Links
- NPR: Move Over Lucy; Ardi May Be Oldest Human Ancestor
- NY Times: Fossil Skeleton Predates Lucy
- Science: Ardipithecus ramidus special issue
Segment produced by:Christopher Intagliata
Listen:
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Friday, October 2nd, 2009
- Early Hominid Fossil Find
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Can Bats and Wind Power Get Along?
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Lester Brown: Plan B 4.0
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Green Your Lawn
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'The Strangest Man,' Paul Dirac
Elsewhere on Sciencefriday.com
Are Humans Still Evolving?
The Hobbit Debate
Don Johanson - Lucy's Legacy
Oldest Fossil Brain Discovered
A New Species, or Just Small Humans?
New Fossil Find






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