How Old Are Modern Humans? - Wildlife Gardeners

suunto · 12-28-2010, 10:29 AM

From an AP article at Researchers: Ancient human remains found in Israel - Yahoo! News -

"JERUSALEM – Israeli archaeologists said Monday they may have found the earliest evidence yet for the existence of modern man, and if so, it could upset theories of the origin of humans.
A Tel Aviv University team excavating a cave in central Israel said teeth found in the cave are about 400,000 years old and resemble those of other remains of modern man, known scientifically as Homo sapiens, found in Israel. The earliest Homo sapiens remains found until now are half as old."

I think that a lot more investigative work is needed here - because hominid fossils as a group are so fragmentary, there often is a tendency to make sweeping statements that later must be either withdrawn or greatly modified...

philip · 12-28-2010, 10:55 AM

right.

To be fair almost all of the time you have to look at who is actually making the statements.

Media outlets love a story. And they want to sell a story. Sometimes, certainly a researcher can get a little carried away with things, but when you read things like this you generally find that the headline writer, or the journo, has very little idea of what they are talking about, but need to put copy out.

The public often hear all stories as equal. Then you end up with some misconceptions.

12-28-2010, 10:29 AM	#1
suunto The Bug Whisperer Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Monroe County, WV, USA	How Old Are Modern Humans? From an AP article at Researchers: Ancient human remains found in Israel - Yahoo! News - "JERUSALEM – Israeli archaeologists said Monday they may have found the earliest evidence yet for the existence of modern man, and if so, it could upset theories of the origin of humans. A Tel Aviv University team excavating a cave in central Israel said teeth found in the cave are about 400,000 years old and resemble those of other remains of modern man, known scientifically as Homo sapiens, found in Israel. The earliest Homo sapiens remains found until now are half as old." I think that a lot more investigative work is needed here - because hominid fossils as a group are so fragmentary, there often is a tendency to make sweeping statements that later must be either withdrawn or greatly modified... __________________ “Every artist dips his brush in his own soul and paints his own nature into his pictures.” Henry Ward Beecher

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12-28-2010, 10:55 AM	#2
philip Salamander Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: North Bergen / Cliffside Park New Jersey	right. To be fair almost all of the time you have to look at who is actually making the statements. Media outlets love a story. And they want to sell a story. Sometimes, certainly a researcher can get a little carried away with things, but when you read things like this you generally find that the headline writer, or the journo, has very little idea of what they are talking about, but need to put copy out. The public often hear all stories as equal. Then you end up with some misconceptions.