The Discovery and Initial Interpretation of ‘Lucy’ in Paleoanthropology with Ian Tattersall

[@larryparis925]

What an informative presentation! The difference between a linearly-progressive view of evolution of hominin phylogeny and a trial-and-error multi-branching account of hominin evolution. This harkens back to the days in paleoanthropology of lumpers vs splitters. Many thanks for sharing this.

[@SkylerinAmarillo]

What a likable man, up beat and educational. Thank you.

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

An upbeat is the last beat of a measure, which leads to the downbeat of the next measure. The first beat of a measure is called a downbeat.

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

Hope you're still around.

[@lindembergaraujo7153]

Brilliant talk!!!

[@secularsunshine9036]

*Join the Enlightenment, support Secular Humanism.* thanks

[@3AA2]

Too many depressed people in that club.

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

Lucy doesn't disprove religion. But I suppose a lot of religious people can't handle Lucy.

[@Simulera]

Brilliant talk. Remaining polite, it still captures the academic and institutional stress of the intellectual evolution of ideas. Clearly that process remains to be systematized as well!

[@Jaymark-gk4li]

Excellent article 👏 👍

[@uctv]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@pierceaero3005]

We learned about Lucy in grade school, but I never knew about this debate between old and new scientists. It makes sense. Old ideas can be hard to let go of. Even once scientific ones. Fresh perspectives tend to get around this. Fun. Thanks. 😊

[@monikagrosch9632]

I knew there was a falling out between Johansson and the Leakeys and never understood why now it makes sense to me

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

"but nonetheless"....

[@djlafg58]

Yes indeed, the bushy nature of Hominin evolution fits the picture so much more clearly than does the linear model. Perhaps the same can be said of pre-hominins in the Miocene as singling out a single link from quadrupedal apes may be just as fraught as was the case in the Hominins of the Pliocene and the Pleistocene?

[@davidgenie-ci5zl]

I Love Lucy.

[@katherandefy]

Happily along came Ascent of Man with Jacob Brunowski. Of course that was in the 60s with the advent of color tv under the direction of David Attenborough, two science communication giants.

[@mavrosyvannah]

So paleontologists were stuck in the mire!

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

the mire yes. "stranded, mired in the muck"

[@rickcrume739]

That would be as good a guess as the one they came up with!!!

[@lufe8773]

There may be other fossil evidence that has not been discovered yet. Worse, other hominids may have left no fossil records at all or lived in places where they will never be found. The one thing we can say for certain is. . . 'every' time a new fossil is found or DNA evidence then the human story has to be rewritten yet again and If you base your conclusions solely on the information you have to hand then it's a theory. Maybe we will never know the complete story.

[@dwightehowell8179]

I prefer the term population rather than species or even subspecies.

[@mavrosyvannah]

So, scientific cancle culture to remove the definition of words.

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

you mean like "depopulate" ?

[@WindowsToEternity]

Perhaps the evidence is still scanty enough to this day that skepticism of the hair ball diagram of human evolution is still appropriate even now to many observers.

[@rickcrume739]

Were there trees or shrubs found?

[@meamamanarolledupnewspaper3884]

Meyer forgot the Bro 6 month rule common to any hominid speicies of any hole is a goal no judgements....

[@zeekwolfe6251]

Nigel Kerner in his book "Song of the Greys" (1997) makes a compelling case for a kind of reverse evolution. He contends that early hominids like australopithecus and others DID evolve...but into what are now the great apes; gorillas, bonobos, chimpanzees, and lesser evolved, gibbons. This explains the rarity of early ape fossils. Sounds odd and upsets paleontological orthodoxy, but Kerner makes his point via the scientific method albeit using less traveled side roads.

[@cliftongaither6642]

hhmm, that's interesting. i've never heard this hypothesis before. thanks

[@SorryStamin]

I don't think anyone could ever hold this view after the genomic sequencing of the great apes matches the morphological predictions, and even back then it's very clear that the morphology doesn't even remotely like up like this. An interesting theory, but about as rigorous as aquatic ape theory

[@helenhunter4540]

Not only heroic and single minded but also half-sided and it's tempting to add half-something else: all male.

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

are you jealous of Lucy? hahahah

[@rickcrume739]

What spieces was she?

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

afarensis

[@MossyMozart]

Dear, sweet GrandMama Lucy! How I wish I had inherited those _fabulous_ cheekbones.

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

she was only 11 years old at death but considered an adult. Kind of strange.

[@saliksayyar9793]

Do you have DNA sequence to make such bold claims?

[@BackpackTheSierra]

Clumpers and dividers

[@rodrigodiaz5003]

🙊

[@kennethwilson8633]

Well then what accounts for the evolution of Trump and the MAGA Republicans???

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

devolution

[@rickcrume739]

Have. they carbon dated them?

[@stargazer5784]

Carbon dating isn't accurate with samples that old. There are however, multiple other methods that are. One involves dating rock and sediment layers above and below the fossil to place constraints on the possible age.

[@chetisanhart3457]

I has to quit listening. Please edit out that annoying lip smacking sound and repost it. How was that even missed ?

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

I didn't notice it but I'll relisten since I shouldn't miss out on the most important part as you have clearly noted.

[@rickcrume739]

Lucy has no hands or feet, but pictures of her show human feet and hands, how do they know what she looked like!!!

[@ksbrst2010]

Due to her knees, hip and head. They all Spoke a clear language toward bipedal. In fact we now know that the knuckle walking apes all wall on their knuckles in different was, so there are doubts if the Common ancestor of humans and Chips is a knuckle walker.

[@2000sborton]

There is also the fact that Lucy was not the only fossil of her species found. There are a number of different individuals of Lucy's species that fill in the holes presented with Lucy's skeleton.

[@Unknown-unknowns]

They've found 100's of others from Lucy's species.

[@anthonyehrenzweig7697]

@@ksbrst2010 The current theory is that the common ancestor was bipedal in the trees & on the ground but not in the same way as humans are bipedal. For example gibbons are bipedal on the ground using their long arms for balance but they split from the common ancestor 15/18 million years ago. There were different forms of bipedalism - different gaits - some walking on the outside of the foot & some on the inside. Knuckle walking is a new development for chimps, gorillas & bonobos & as you say these apes walk slightly differently & this form of walking may have developed independently.

[@ksbrst2010]

@@anthonyehrenzweig7697 This is the question. We can only speculate about this common ancestor. We know that the Australopiticean were obviously walking quite good and the fundamental difference between Australopeticis and Homo is rather small

[@x19fan1]

Listen to what he said about how scientists capitulated against their own beliefs…Just like climate science. Speak out against the zeitgeist and you’re finished …

[@jackieking1522]

What controversy is there in climate science? Its basically data gathering and modelling. No real room for differing interpretations and no history to cling onto.

[@williamjackson5942]

@@Toxicpoolofreekingmascul-lj4yd Almost 100 percent of climate scientists agree, of those who do not the majority are funded by fossil fuel interests!

[@stargazer5784]

Climate change denialism is an exercise in foolishness.

[@SorryStamin]

Climate science has done nothing but continually get more accurate in its predictions. These predictions all hinge on the "zeitgeist" (I'm guessing you're referring to anthropological climate change). But I want to ask, what makes you so confident to make this assessment when I know for a fact you haven't even read a single climate study.

[@JamesFoard-le3nz]

I'm not an ape. I'm a human being created in the image of God and descended from Adam and Eve, the first man and woman who God created, and I do not have a common ancestor with apes.

[@anthonyehrenzweig7697]

I think your ancestor is a "Know Nothing" supporter from the 1850's.

[@deepcosmiclove]

@@anthonyehrenzweig7697 I am afraid the same thing may be said about you kind Sir. Lucy isn’t a complete skeleton. It is a collection of bones found in an area encompassing c. 250 square meters (200 sq. yards). The whole area was sifted by machine and the bones collected and arranged in the form of a skeleton. It’s not known if it is a single animal or a composite of a few. It is basically a fraud designed to promote evolutionary biology.

[@timothythompson4036]

You are not an ape. But, we are descended from apes. Remember, that was millions of years ago. There is nothing in evolution that says God was not involved.

[@deepcosmiclove]

@@anthonyehrenzweig7697You should investigate the matter more thoroughly . Do you know that Lucy isn’t a complete skeleton? It is a collection of bones found in an area encompassing c. 250 square meters (200 sq. yards) and arraigned in the shape of a skeleton. The whole area was sifted by machine and the bones collected and displayed in the shape of a skeleton. It’s a fake. It’s not known if it is a single animal or a composite of a few. It is basically a fraud designed to promote evolutionary biology. I'd hesitate to insult people based upon incomplete kowledge.

[@deepcosmiclove]

Here is some information for you about Noah's Ark right here on ytube: "Dr. Joel Klenck, 100% Noah's Ark, Scientific Archaeological Method and Theory." Adam & Eve are real people and we are descended from Noah's sons, not apes.