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Re: The origin of personal property
Chuck Stembridge (rogerdodger@sisna.com)
2 Sep 96 16:27:59 GMT
Roger Dodger has this to say about that-
>This idea might merit reconsideration - if monkeys can figure out how to
>use a plastich shopping bag, couldn't early bipeds (what is the common
>name for this guy, anyway, other than the missing link) work food-carrying
>and -sharing into their bag of survival tricks?
>Tom Schmal
The 'common name' you are probably thinking of is 'Australopithicus', and are
pretty close to the 'missing link' (ape-man or man-ape). Other common names
(species names) for these creatures include: 'afarensis' ('Lucy', 'The First
Family', 'The Laetoli footprints' [?]), 'africanus' ('Taung baby', 'Mrs.
Pies'), 'robustus', 'zinjanthropus ('Nutcracker Man'), and 'boisei'.
The Australopithecenes lived between 3.7 and 1.7 million years ago, a time-
frame of 2 million years! Given this extreme time span, these
creatures were probably the most successful of any of the Hominids, including
ourselves, considering we (Homo sapiens) have only been around for about 100-
300,000 years.
A 'new' specimen(s) of even more primative creatures have recently (1992-94)
begun turning up in Ethiopia. Ardipithecus ramidus remains have been
found in three sites in Ethiopia, and have been dated at around 4.4 million
years. The find consists of fossils from 17 individuals. Most remains are
teeth, but there is also a partial lower jaw of a child, a partial cranium
base, and arm bone fragments. Indirect evidence suggests that it was possibly
bipedal, and that some individuals were about 122 cm (4') tall. The teeth are
intermediate between those of earlier apes and A. afarensis, but one baby
tooth is very primitive, resembling a chimpanzee tooth more than any other
known hominid tooth. Other fossils found with ramidus indicate that it may
have been a forest dweller. [White, et al. 1994; Wood, 1994] (source:
'Fossil Hominids' by Jim Foley, 'Origons' Web Page)
Roger Dodger
from the City-State of the Invincible Overlord
"Stranded in the gas station of love..."
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