Read the Beforeitsnews.com story here. Advertise at Before It's News here.

By PPSIMMONS
Contributor profile | More stories

Story Views
Now:
Last hour:
Last 24 hours:
Total:

Research Confirms Australopithecus Was an APE - Nothing More!

Tuesday, November 13, 2012 19:51

% of readers think this story is Fact. Add your two cents.

Australopithecus Was a Well-Adapted Tree Climber

by Jeffrey Tomkins, Ph.D. *

New research has confirmed that an extinct type of ape called Australopithecus afarensis,which includes the famous “Lucy” fossil, was a well-adapted tree climber. The research team conducted a detailed anatomical analysis of two complete shoulder blades of a fossilAustralopithecince called “Selam,” reported in the journal Science to be about 3.3 million years old.¹

A number of studies in zoological anatomy indicate that the various species of Australopithecusrepresent nothing more than different varieties of an extinct ape kind.² The fact that fully human remains have been found in rock layers as old as the ones containing Australopithecusfossils, further complicates the evolutionary story—a phenomema discussed at length by paleontologist Marvin Lubenow.²

Amazingly, it took 11 years for researchers to extract the fossil shoulder blades of Selam from the sandstone rock in which they were encased. Science study co-author Zeresenay Alemseged toldLiveScience, “Because shoulder blades are paper-thin, they rarely fossilize, and when they do, they are almost always fragmentary.” Alemseged also said that “finding both shoulder blades completely intact and attached to a skeleton of a known and pivotal species was like hitting the jackpot.”³

Lucy, a fossil that was once widely promoted as a hypothetical human ancestor, had shoulder sockets that faced upward, a common feature of modern apes. The Selam fossil has the same type of sockets. This unique feature enables apes to dexterously climb and swing from tree branches. In contrast, humans have downward facing shoulder sockets at birth that gradually develop to face forward as they become adults. This position is also integral to the uniquely human walking gait.

Also in contrast to humans, ape shoulder morphology does not change during development. The authors wrote in Science, “Many of these traits change significantly throughout modern human ontogeny [development from an embryo], but remain stable in apes. Thus, the similarity of juvenile and adult fossil morphologies implies that A. afarensis development was apelike.”¹

The idea that humans evolved from apes by leaving the trees to walk across the ground in a largely bipedal lifestyle, is a central evolutionary paradigm. The authors of the recent Sciencepaper wrote, “Scapular traits throughout African ape development are associated with shifts in locomotor behavior. This affirms the functional relevance of those characteristics, and their presence in australopith fossils supports the hypothesis that their locomotor repertoire included a substantial amount of climbing.”¹ If australopithecines were bipedal while on the ground, they did not walk like humans. And this recent analysis clearly shows that they were also well-adapted tree climbers with unique bone structures not found in humans.

No doubt this report was a setback for the evolutionary model of human origins that had postulated the idea that Australopithecines had largely transitioned to the ground from the trees. Indeed, another recent study evaluating fossilized food particles betweenAustralopithecus teeth showed a diet of primarily tree-based food (tree leaves, fruits, wood, bark), compared to a small amount of grass.⁴

Even the highly subjective field of anthropology vindicates the scientifically accurate claim of the Bible—that man is created uniquely in the image of God.

References

Green, D. J. and Z. Alemseged. 2012. Australopithecus afarensis Scapular Ontogeny, Function, and the Role of Climbing in Human Evolution. Science. 338 (6106): 514-517.
Lubenow, M. 2004. Bones of Contention: A Creationist Assessment of Human Fossils. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.
Choi, C. Early Human ‘Lucy’ Swung from the Trees. LiveScience. Posted on livescience.com October 25, 2012, accessed October 31, 2012.
Henry, A. G. et al. 2012. The diet of Australopithecus sediba. Nature. Posted on nature.com June 27, 2012, accessed October 31, 2012.

* Dr. Tomkins is Research Associate at the Institute for Creation Research and received his Ph.D. in Genetics from Clemson University.

Source http://www.icr.org/article/7104/

2012-11-13 19:44:33

Source: http://ppsimmons.blogspot.com/2012/11/research-confirms-australopithecus-was.html

Source:

Before It’s News® is a community of individuals who report on what’s going on around them, from all around the world.

Anyone can join.
Anyone can contribute.
Anyone can become informed about their world.

"United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.

Before It’s News® is a community of individuals who report on what’s going on around them, from all around the world. Anyone can join. Anyone can contribute. Anyone can become informed about their world. "United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.

LION'S MANE PRODUCT

Try Our Lion’s Mane WHOLE MIND Nootropic Blend 60 Capsules

Mushrooms are having a moment. One fabulous fungus in particular, lion’s mane, may help improve memory, depression and anxiety symptoms. They are also an excellent source of nutrients that show promise as a therapy for dementia, and other neurodegenerative diseases. If you’re living with anxiety or depression, you may be curious about all the therapy options out there — including the natural ones.Our Lion’s Mane WHOLE MIND Nootropic Blend has been formulated to utilize the potency of Lion’s mane but also include the benefits of four other Highly Beneficial Mushrooms. Synergistically, they work together to Build your health through improving cognitive function and immunity regardless of your age. Our Nootropic not only improves your Cognitive Function and Activates your Immune System, but it benefits growth of Essential Gut Flora, further enhancing your Vitality.

Our Formula includes: Lion’s Mane Mushrooms which Increase Brain Power through nerve growth, lessen anxiety, reduce depression, and improve concentration. Its an excellent adaptogen, promotes sleep and improves immunity. Shiitake Mushrooms which Fight cancer cells and infectious disease, boost the immune system, promotes brain function, and serves as a source of B vitamins. Maitake Mushrooms which regulate blood sugar levels of diabetics, reduce hypertension and boosts the immune system. Reishi Mushrooms which Fight inflammation, liver disease, fatigue, tumor growth and cancer. They Improve skin disorders and soothes digestive problems, stomach ulcers and leaky gut syndrome. Chaga Mushrooms which have anti-aging effects, boost immune function, improve stamina and athletic performance, even act as a natural aphrodisiac, fighting diabetes and improving liver function. Try Our Lion’s Mane WHOLE MIND Nootropic Blend 60 Capsules Today. Be 100% Satisfied or Receive a Full Money Back Guarantee. Order Yours Today by Following This Link.

Comments

Total 1 comment

Stevicus

This is reassuring even though i never believed we were once apes as the idiot theory of “evolution” suggests. All the evidence points to us devolving from something more perfect and those who cant see it should ask a simple question : if we are evolving from apes why do genetic defects increase & not decrease ?

Nov 14, 2012, 4:21 pm 0 Reply

Visits:	1,707,084,680
Stories:	8,447,198