Oct 2 2009One Step Closer To Evolutionary 'Missing Link'

Scientists believe they're one step closer to human evolution's "missing link" with the discovery of new skeletal remains in Ethiopia.
Humanity has a new older sister. A fossilized skeleton of Ardipithecus ramidus or "Ardi" predates Lucy by over a million years. The discovery has led to new insights about human evolution, suggesting previously unknown relationships to our chimpanzee brethren.
The paleobiologists studying Ardi identify hers as an "intermediate" form, one that is bipedal, but at the same time capable of walking on all forms and traveling through trees. Still, although she represents a point past hominids' evolutionary break with gorillas and chimpanzees, she is very different from modern apes. For example, Ardi's had flat hands and feet and flexible wrists, and engaged in a form of locomotion called palmigrady, which is a trait of ancient apes and unlike gorillas and chimpanzees, which are stiff-wristed knuckle-walkers. This suggests that gorilla and chimp ancestors developed their knuckle-walking long after their evolutionary break with hominids.
Interesting. And by interesting I mean Ardi looks like your mom but with nicer tits. AND trim.
New Fossil Discovery is the Closest We've Come to the Missing Link [io9]
Thanks to Julian, who would hit anything with opposable thumbs.

Reader Comments
1. Ham Bone - October 2, 2009 11:07 AM
HAWT
2. Moose Knuckle - October 2, 2009 11:11 AM
I'd hit it Mr Natural style
3. Dan - October 2, 2009 11:11 AM
shes hot! id do it
3rd
4. Beep Boop - October 2, 2009 11:11 AM
She Looks Friendly =)
5. Cup-O-Jesus - October 2, 2009 11:17 AM
and she's only 4 feet tall (7,462cm).
SPINNER!
also, look at those hands...
6. killerabbit - October 2, 2009 11:20 AM
I'm pretty sure that thing goes to school with me. Seriously, have any of you ever been to Michigan Tech?
7. Thirty3 - October 2, 2009 11:20 AM
Most of these things end up being proven hoaxes.
8. austinjames - October 2, 2009 11:22 AM
no racism yet? ill check back later
9. Calabasa209 - October 2, 2009 11:26 AM
id beat
10. Ham Bone - October 2, 2009 11:26 AM
We have heard of Brazilian, landing strip, the Hitler, the hedge bush, the forest, happy trail, the brillo pad, and many others.
But I have always preferred the missing link ... call me
11. Kirk Cameron - October 2, 2009 11:30 AM
This proves nothing. [Shuts eyes, covers ears]
12. Jeremy - October 2, 2009 11:30 AM
Thrity3,
Yup
13. Kanye - October 2, 2009 11:40 AM
Hey Ari I know you might be the missing link n all and ima let you finish..but the sasquatch was the best missling link of all time!
14. JADE - October 2, 2009 11:43 AM
She is already in all my old family photos, I lovingly refer to her a my ex mother in law.
15. Closet Nerd (aka Johnny B) - October 2, 2009 11:47 AM
Where are all the religion freaks to dismiss this?
Bored?
Try discussing evolution or the possibiltiy of life on other planets with a devoted muslim..... ahhhhh weekends with my in-laws, what fun!
16. Free ipod - October 2, 2009 12:09 PM
click my name
17. Closet Nerd (aka Johnny B) - October 2, 2009 12:13 PM
@16
click my nutz
18. bojangles - October 2, 2009 12:21 PM
There is no "missing link", retards. That phrase is based on an ignorant understanding of evolution.
19. Scruff Mcgruff - October 2, 2009 12:53 PM
@15 @8... GOD made humans the way they are right now no such thing as evolution!!!....looks like obama's mom
20. Arsinecode - October 2, 2009 12:54 PM
I still don't see the transition from ape to HUMAN..at what point did we lose all our hair and ape facial bones..the theory is all well and good but theres no proof and I doubt they will ever find it, because it doesn't exist..or they woulda found it by now.
21. ciao - October 2, 2009 1:01 PM
*checks family tree* ah yeah tat's my great great great great great great great great ..........................................great aunt "Daisy". :B
22. Lizzie - October 2, 2009 1:01 PM
I really don't believe that one animal can turn into a completely different animal... at what point did we gain intellect and a conscience?? I believe in evolution to the extent that an animal can change over long periods of time due to their surrounds.
I also don't believe that God created man, so I have no idea where we came from, lol.
23. Scruff Mcgruff - October 2, 2009 1:05 PM
by GOD i meant that dinosaurs layed us like eggs so that they could harvest our bodies and keep us chained down to the ground so that we would be tender enough to eat later in life...like veal...and african babies.
24. ciao - October 2, 2009 1:07 PM
if a fish can turn into today's reptiles, its true that an intellect monkay can evolve to humansapians. We share similar traits and genes as our curious furry friends.
25. livingjetlag - October 2, 2009 1:46 PM
These bones lovingly planted in the ground by the Flying Spaghetti Monster are further proof of intelligent noodly design.
26. Closet Nerd - October 2, 2009 1:49 PM
@22
Its not that one animal changes to a completely different animal. There is slight changes to each new generation, well not every generation, but over (a very very) long time small changes occur, and eventually it is much different from its ancestors.
Vestial appendages offer support of evolution.
Why do whales (and some snakes) have hips?
(and i'm not talking about the snake featured on Geekologie)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vestigiality#Examples
I think the fact that girls now a days mature much faster (and with larger breasts than before) is a sign of evolution. Yes, a lot of that is due to hormones used in food production, but increased attractiveness is an evolutionary change. The more beautiful the woman, the more likely she is to mate and have offspring. The more ugly, the less likely. The beautiful procreate, pass on their genes, and the ugly genes dissappear because no one wants to sleep with the ugly chick.
27. Closet Nerd - October 2, 2009 1:53 PM
Does anyone else LOVE the movie "Evolution"?
I can watch that movie over and over, and its still great!
28. Closet Nerd - October 2, 2009 1:54 PM
"THERES ALWAYS TIME FOR LUBRICANT!!!"
29. Kerouacian - October 2, 2009 1:59 PM
@20 They haven't found any proof of god, heaven or hell so those don't exist either then, right? (They don't.)
30. Scruff Mcgruff - October 2, 2009 2:05 PM
@29 your mom dont exist even though i banged her. that's the reason she is not real...in my mind
31. Closet Nerd - October 2, 2009 2:05 PM
@29
Jack is that you?
On the Road?
32. JesusLove - October 2, 2009 2:24 PM
@29 something called the BIBLE.
33. Scruff Mcgruff - October 2, 2009 2:30 PM
@32 the bible was written by some hippie dude back in the day when weed was first discovered...i mean seriously a burning talking bush, living in a whale, a friggin guy who is invincible unless you cut his hair off named samson(fabio)...yeah its a bunch of hulaballoo and i dont think its real.
34. Cup-O-Jesus - October 2, 2009 2:45 PM
@32
So how is the bible PROOF of god. You do know what the word means, don't you? Oh please, PLEASE comment again and explain how the existance of the book called the bible PROVES the existence of god. You know, like how the existence of Dick Chaney PROVES the existence of Satan.
@20
Scientists don't use the word theory in the same way we do. There is also this thing called the theory of gravity. I notice folks like you seem to have alot of "faith" in THAT theory.
Oh me how I LOVE evolution posts!
35. Scruff Mcgruff - October 2, 2009 2:49 PM
jesus is real i dont care what anyone says. check it
http://images.triplem.com.au/2009/08/28/254195/dave-grohl-gallery.jpg
36. Closet Nerd - October 2, 2009 2:58 PM
@32 and the other religion quacks...
What is the difference between mythology & religion?
@34
I'm betting all these "evolution is fake" people are also pro-life.
Wanna start a 'fun' conversation.... then start talking about "sma-smortions"
Wait for the psycho comments to start pouring in.
I once had a guy tell me that I was 'pro life' because my wife & I DECIDED not to get an abortion. The way I see it, since we DECIDED not to do it, we are still 'pro choice'... its just that our choice was not to get an abortion.
37. GoSS Jerk now sterilized for your pleasure - October 2, 2009 3:00 PM
@ 32... i never thought id say this... but i actually agree with 33
38. im pro-poo - October 2, 2009 3:00 PM
so it looks like these two monkeys mate by scissoring
39. Scruff Mcgruff - October 2, 2009 3:04 PM
@38 its the same "monkey" you retard just mirrior images. as far as "sma-smortions" go i prefer to go in while she is sleeping with a wire hanger
40. Closet Nerd - October 2, 2009 3:21 PM
@39
There is no need for you to preform a "sma-smortion" because goats can't get pregnant from human semen.
41. Migo - October 2, 2009 3:22 PM
Interisting how the thumb is so minimal compared to the other fingers, but still looks like got some mobility, different than modern apes where is kind of "fixed" so allows less rotation. They can t play with marble on their hands as we do, jsut using their thumbs. is more like a claw, but this femal shows an intersiting feature, and flat palms. Food gathering?
@32 Oh yeah, God exist because some people "wrote" that on a book ( errr....) and so the Egyptians when their wrote about Ra, or the Greeks when they built monuments to Zeus...and the Nordics. fighting for THOOOOR!..
The bible LOL...same is valid for the Q'ran, or the Torah..different laws...kill, marginate or ignore the Unbeliever...looks like God is very very very indecisive.. but very egocentric and JEALOUS.. uhhhh! Don't forget to pray, youc ame to earth jsut for holidays, rest of your eternal life is in slumber...
42. killerabbit - October 2, 2009 3:22 PM
@39
She sleeps with a wire hanger? Kinky.
43. Scruff Mcgruff - October 2, 2009 3:25 PM
surprisingly they can get pregnant from dog semen...which is what i am...a dog...and i have dog semen...which comes from my penis...into the goat vagina...which makes a baby...which i dont want...thus the wire hanger...and no baby...need i drag this on more?...i dont think so...but i will...because i can...and this is TLDR...which means something...yeah
44. Scruff Mcgruff - October 2, 2009 3:29 PM
@42 your dumb wire hanger is used to kill the unborn baby...homemade abortions. quick, easy, cheap, the coat hanger..
45. Harrison - October 2, 2009 3:36 PM
The evolution community has really been grasping at straws this year. It seems there's a new "link" every week for the one screwup last week.
46. Cup-O-Jesus - October 2, 2009 3:37 PM
@44 OK you are funny but can't other people be funny too?
Lemme 'splain. @42 understood you just fine. The way you phrased your comment made it sound like she sleeps with a wire hanger (MAN does that open some comedic possibilities) and he was making a joke about it.
Seriously dude, switch to decaf, if just for today.
47. Cup-O-Jesus - October 2, 2009 3:41 PM
@45 adam and eve. had two sons. one killed the other. the remaining son goes to the ...village?!? and gets a ...wife?!?... aaand....umm..
so what's the new theory for that one?
god's will
ya don't question god
god moves in mysterious ways
bible time is different
48. Scruff Mcgruff - October 2, 2009 3:43 PM
@46 well first of all decaf is for puss-bots...second hell no! for today i get to be the only funny one...facking kids think they own the interwebs and know everyting and yes i meant "everyting" so why dont YOU work on yur gramaticals because i dont think that those 20 cups of coffee were a good ideasasda............
49. Closet Nerd - October 2, 2009 3:46 PM
@46@44
I think he is a bit more disturbed than funny
50. Scruff Mcgruff - October 2, 2009 3:48 PM
yeah well thats what your mother said when i divorced her ass!
51. Closet Nerd - October 2, 2009 4:06 PM
@50 How old are you? Five?
I've heard better come backs from foreigners who can barely speak english!
52. Cup-O-Jesus - October 2, 2009 4:11 PM
@51 yeah I have this age display in my head for mcgruff and the numbers keep ticking backwards.
no response from the bible guys yet... my cricket has restless leg syndrome
53. BRIGS - October 2, 2009 6:56 PM
can i get a missing-link handjob!?
SHWING!
54. joe - October 2, 2009 6:59 PM
haha evoloution
55. Thumperchica (from her BlackBerry) - October 2, 2009 10:20 PM
Damn STOMPY... Ur mom wen downhill faster than ur sex life!
56. Eshto - October 2, 2009 10:21 PM
Um...
A.) There's no such thing as a "missing link", this is an archaic term from the 19th century when people thought humans came from monkeys. That's not how evolution works. Monkeys and humans have a common ancestor, we are like branches of the same tree.
And evolution is always happening, so every species in existence is a "link" between the one before it and the ones after it.
B.) Evolution is a fact. If you don't believe in it you are a moron. Goodbye.
57. didgeridoo - October 3, 2009 12:41 AM
@18 and 56
thank you.
@51
do you have a death note? you shouldnt have taken those demon eyes.
58. Darwin - October 3, 2009 4:09 AM
Hey guys! See you in hell suckers!
59. Norman Eschenfelder - October 3, 2009 7:48 AM
Ignorant idtiots do not understand evolving and natural selection, yes, Sir, they ain't doin' that.
60. Geekolojew - October 3, 2009 8:30 AM
Must See!!!
http://alturl.com/obg7
________________
61. fred - October 30, 2009 6:52 PM
woah... even a furry wouldn't hit that...