There is an interesting article on the cladistics of fossil men. It places
homo erectus morphologically much closer to modern man. I would love to
hear this talk because it sounds like she is arguing for the union of H.
erectus and H. sapiens--something several paleoanthropologists, like
Jelinek, R. Leakey and others, have argued for.
Abstract:
"In the past few years, new discoveries (Atapuerca, Dmanisi, Buia) and new
reappraisals of the chronological pattern of human evolution during the
Pleistocene in Asia and Africa (e.g., Modjokerto, Ngandong and
Longgupo--but also in Europe) have suggested an earlier emergence of Homo
sapiens.
"The new paradigm implies not only an earlier spread of H. sapiens into
Europe but also a more recent date for the last occurrence of H. erectus in
Asia. Is this new paradigm well founded, or should the definition of the
species H. erectus and H. sapiens instead be reconsidered?"
"A numerical cladistic analysis was carried out, initially on 468 cranial
features (123 morphological characters and 345 metrical data) and 67 OTUs.
This showed that, when using ontogenetic information for coding, Homo
erectus is a plesion close to the origin of Homo sapiens. Moreover, when
the species H. ergaster and the grade H. habilis are taken into account,
most of the Pleistocene human fossils from Africa, as well as Solo and
Zhoukoudian, appear to be affiliated to Homo sapiens."
"The result of this analysis can be read as indicating a radiation of Homo
in East Africa. This proposal forms part of a synthesis which takes into
account independent chronological and paleoenvironmental data." Valery
Zeitoun "New paradigm and new chronology for Homo sapiens emergence: a
cladistic point of view" Abstracts for the Paleoanthropology Society
Meeting, The University of Pennsylvania Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
U.S.A., April 4-5, 2000
glenn
Foundation, Fall and Flood
Adam, Apes and Anthropology
http://www.flash.net/~mortongr/dmd.htm
Lots of information on creation/evolution
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