In the 22 September 1994 issue of _Nature_, Tim White and
colleagues published a report of the "long-sought potential root
species for the Hominidae" (Volume 371, pages 306-312). This
created no small stir in the media, with enthusiastic reports of
the "missing link" being found.
The latest twist in the story of _A. ramidus_ appears to be in
the March 1996 issue of _National Geographic_. Donald Johanson
provides readers with an update on the Australopithecenes: "Face-
to-face with Lucy's family" (pages 96-117). On page 117, he has
this paragraph:
"Also, in late 1994 an international team led by Tim White
announced that it had found bones of an even earlier hominid at
a site in Ethiopia called Aramis. Tim and his Ethiopian
colleagues have since unearthed a nearly complete skeleton of the
same creature, which dates back to 4.4 million years ago. Its
position on the human tree is in question. It has many chimplike
features - enough that Tim decided to create an entirely new
genus for it, naming the animal _Ardipithecus ramidus_. Over the
next year or two, as the new skeleton is studied, this hominid's
lineage will become more clear."
The renaming of the hominid find is highly significant - the root
species for the Hominidae no longer has an identity.
Tim White's announcement of the change of name has escaped me -
does anyone know where he has published the new name?
As I remember well the media interest in the 1994 announcement
of the "missing link", I would like to think that the revised
interpretation of the fossils would get a significant amount of
space - but I know of nothing! Has anyone seen a magazine,
newspaper, radio or TV article drawing attention to the non-
existence of this "missing link"?
Comments welcome.
Best wishes,
*** From David J. Tyler, CDT Department, Hollings Faculty,
Manchester Metropolitan University, UK.
Telephone: 0161-247-2636 ***