How Findings of Human Ancestor Bones Still Does Not Change How We Veiw Human Evolution?

Closest Human Ancestor May Rewrite Steps in Our Evolution

Two key specimens were accidentally discovered by a 9 year old son of a scientist in a cave in South Africa in 2008. A juvenile male as developed as a 10 to 13-year-old human and an adult female maybe in her late 20s or early 30s. The species is both a hominid and a hominin. Hominids include humans, chimpanzees, gorillas and their extinct ancestors, while hominins include those species after Homo, the human lineage, split from that of chimpanzees. Lee Berger a researcher says, "The fossils demonstrate a surprisingly advanced but small brain, a very evolved hand with a long thumb like a humans, a very modern pelvis, but a foot and ankle shape never seen in any hominin species that combines features of both apes and humans in one anatomical package". Scientists had thought the human-like pelvis evolved to accommodate larger-brained offspring. The new findings of human like hips in Au. sediba, the specimen, despite small-brained offspring suggests these pelvises may have instead initially evolved to help this hominin better wander across the landscape, perhaps as grasslands began to expand across its habitat. When it came to walking, investigating the feet and ankles of the fossils revealed surprises about how Au. sediba, the specimen, might have walked across the world. No hominin ankle has ever been described with so many primitive and advanced features. Researcher Bernhard Zipfel says, "If the bones had not been found stuck together, the team may have described them as belonging to different species". The researchers discovered that its ankle joint is mostly like a humans, with some evidence for a human like arch and a well defined Achilles tendon, but its heel and shin bones appear to be mostly ape-like. This suggested the hominid probably climbed trees yet also halkid in a unique way not exactly like that of humans. Finally, an analysis of Au. sediba's, the specimen, hands suggests it might have been a toolmaker. The fossils showed its hand was capable of the strong grasping needed for tree-climbing, but that it also had a long thumb and short fingers. These would have allowed it a precision grip useful for tools, one involving just the thumb and fingers, where the palm does not play an active part. The researchers do caution that although they suggest that Au. sediba, the specimen, was ancestral to the human lineage, all these apparent resemblances between it and us could just be coincidences, with this extinct species evolving similar traits to our lineages due, perhaps, to similar circumstances. Carlson said, "Whether or not it's on the same lineage as leading to Homo, I think there are interesting questions and implications". It might be just as interesting to imagine that Au. sediba was not directly ancestral to Homo, because it opens up the possibility "of independent evolution of the same sorts of features."

I think that is apparent that people do not want to believe in evolution. I think that if scientists find enough evidence and facts that eventually there will be nothing left to run from except fact. There are just so many things already that suggest that we evolved to what we are now I just don't understand why there is so much doubt. I really can not grasp why the scientists can't say that the fossils fall under both species and why do they say that it could just be coincidences. I don't think that it is a coincidence at all. I believe it is a clear view of what it was like during evolution during that time period. I wonder how many other findings there are out there and when we will hear about them. I understand that there is a lot of extensive research that is evolved with fossils and they have to make sure all of the research is thorough before it is presented to the public. I am just curious as to know how many other findings there are and when we will be able to hear about them.