Comments on: Darwinius masillae http://robertsaunders.org.uk/wordpress/2009/05/21/darwinius-masillae/ ...biology and atheism in an overly religious world... Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:25:11 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: New Hominid – New media frenzy? | Wonderful Life http://robertsaunders.org.uk/wordpress/2009/05/21/darwinius-masillae/comment-page-1/#comment-1010 New Hominid – New media frenzy? | Wonderful Life Sun, 04 Apr 2010 05:04:37 +0000 http://www.robertsaunders.org.uk/wordpress/?p=787#comment-1010 [...] all sounds a little familiar – remember the Darwinius masillae frenzy (see Darwinius masillae and Darwinius masillae – the BBC World Service gets it…)?  Hopefully this fossils will [...] [...] all sounds a little familiar – remember the Darwinius masillae frenzy (see Darwinius masillae and Darwinius masillae – the BBC World Service gets it…)?  Hopefully this fossils will [...]

]]> By: GrumpyBob http://robertsaunders.org.uk/wordpress/2009/05/21/darwinius-masillae/comment-page-1/#comment-422 GrumpyBob Thu, 28 May 2009 10:45:38 +0000 http://www.robertsaunders.org.uk/wordpress/?p=787#comment-422 My take is as follows: - The authors looked at 30 characters when assembling the tree. Generally 200-300 characters would be looked at. - The authors' suggestion that it lies as an ancestor of the anthropoids seems to be driven by desire to emphasise the importance of this particular fossil: other workers in the field acknowledge that it's an excellent specimen, but that it lies more in the lemur/loris branch - The whole hyped story has I think detracted from a sober analysis of the data. I expect more detailed analyses not to support the "changes everything" puffery. But then, I'm not a paleontologist, just a geneticist, so hardly an expert. I've not got around to watching the BBC programme about it yet. Meanwhile have you looked at <a href="http:\/\/thenewcreationism.wordpress.com\/" target="_blank">The New Creationism</a> - he says something sensible about Darwinius. Pity the rest of his stuff is so abysmal. I did ask where all the Noachian flood water came from and went to, but got a poor answer! My take is as follows:
- The authors looked at 30 characters when assembling the tree. Generally 200-300 characters would be looked at.
- The authors' suggestion that it lies as an ancestor of the anthropoids seems to be driven by desire to emphasise the importance of this particular fossil: other workers in the field acknowledge that it's an excellent specimen, but that it lies more in the lemur/loris branch
- The whole hyped story has I think detracted from a sober analysis of the data. I expect more detailed analyses not to support the "changes everything" puffery.

But then, I'm not a paleontologist, just a geneticist, so hardly an expert. I've not got around to watching the BBC programme about it yet.

Meanwhile have you looked at The New Creationism – he says something sensible about Darwinius. Pity the rest of his stuff is so abysmal. I did ask where all the Noachian flood water came from and went to, but got a poor answer!

]]> By: barriejohn http://robertsaunders.org.uk/wordpress/2009/05/21/darwinius-masillae/comment-page-1/#comment-421 barriejohn Wed, 27 May 2009 16:17:41 +0000 http://www.robertsaunders.org.uk/wordpress/?p=787#comment-421 If I understand them correctly, they are saying that it IS an ancestor of the anthropoids, due to the structure of the pelvis and talus. That was the impression I got anyway! If I understand them correctly, they are saying that it IS an ancestor of the anthropoids, due to the structure of the pelvis and talus. That was the impression I got anyway!

]]> By: GrumpyBob http://robertsaunders.org.uk/wordpress/2009/05/21/darwinius-masillae/comment-page-1/#comment-420 GrumpyBob Sun, 24 May 2009 21:07:41 +0000 http://www.robertsaunders.org.uk/wordpress/?p=787#comment-420 Yep, the trailer makes me shudder a bit. Good articles in New Humanist and New Scientist, particularly the latter <a href="http:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/article\/dn17173-why-ida-fossil-is-not-the-missing-link.html" target="_blank">Why Ida fossil is not the missing link</a> - check out the phylogenetic tree diagram. Yep, the trailer makes me shudder a bit. Good articles in New Humanist and New Scientist, particularly the latter Why Ida fossil is not the missing link – check out the phylogenetic tree diagram.

]]> By: barriejohn http://robertsaunders.org.uk/wordpress/2009/05/21/darwinius-masillae/comment-page-1/#comment-416 barriejohn Sun, 24 May 2009 08:29:42 +0000 http://www.robertsaunders.org.uk/wordpress/?p=787#comment-416 The David Attenborough programme is on BBC1 on Tues, 26th May at 9.00 pm - "Uncovering Our Earliest Ancestor: The Link". The David Attenborough programme is on BBC1 on Tues, 26th May at 9.00 pm – "Uncovering Our Earliest Ancestor: The Link".

]]> By: GrumpyBob http://robertsaunders.org.uk/wordpress/2009/05/21/darwinius-masillae/comment-page-1/#comment-415 GrumpyBob Fri, 22 May 2009 04:11:37 +0000 http://www.robertsaunders.org.uk/wordpress/?p=787#comment-415 More coverage at "why Evolution is True", with a number of onward links: <a href="Darwinius: what&rsquo\;s at issue\?" target="_blank">Darwinius: what’s at issue?</a> More coverage at "why Evolution is True", with a number of onward links:
Darwinius: what’s at issue?

]]> By: GrumpyBob http://robertsaunders.org.uk/wordpress/2009/05/21/darwinius-masillae/comment-page-1/#comment-414 GrumpyBob Thu, 21 May 2009 19:00:57 +0000 http://www.robertsaunders.org.uk/wordpress/?p=787#comment-414 PZ Myers (Pharyngula) weighs in with an overview of creationist responses: <a href="http:\/\/scienceblogs.com\/pharyngula\/2009\/05\/creationists_freak_out_over_da.php" target="_blank">Creationists freak out over Darwinius</a> I'm not sure how he can stomach looking at those sites. PZ Myers (Pharyngula) weighs in with an overview of creationist responses:
Creationists freak out over Darwinius
I'm not sure how he can stomach looking at those sites.

]]> By: GrumpyBob http://robertsaunders.org.uk/wordpress/2009/05/21/darwinius-masillae/comment-page-1/#comment-413 GrumpyBob Thu, 21 May 2009 07:23:56 +0000 http://www.robertsaunders.org.uk/wordpress/?p=787#comment-413 Jerry Coyne's "Why Evolution is True" blog has a couple of interesting posts on the subject: <a href="http:\/\/whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com\/2009\/05\/20\/has-the-name-darwinius-masillae-been-published-and-if-so-by-who\/" target="_blank">Has the name Darwinius masillae been published? And if so, by who?</a> <a href="http:\/\/whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com\/2009\/05\/19\/paleontology-and-the-media\/" target="_blank">Paleontology and the media</a> Jerry Coyne's "Why Evolution is True" blog has a couple of interesting posts on the subject:
Has the name Darwinius masillae been published? And if so, by who?
Paleontology and the media

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