Last week, after 17 years of secrecy, scientists announced they had found the oldest example of the human lineage. Her name is Ardi, short for Ardipithecus ramidus, and she is a 4.4 million year old fossil.
Ardi was found in the famous Rift Valley of Ethiopia, where other fossils, like Lucy were discovered. Its unique geology pushes fossils to the surface where torrential flash floods both preserve specimens and uncover them.
Now scientists are trying to find the common ancestor that both humans and chimpanzees shared. They believe the two lines diverged sometime between 7 and 8 million years ago.
One question about your article: what is it about? It seems the topic is “Ardi was great science.” Really? What is great science about drawing conclusions based on assumptions? Where is the “great science” in Ardi’s case? You take a pile of bones in very poor conditions and you end up with a new interpretation of the history of man (common ancestor for both ape and man!!!!). You call that great science? Don’t you think the reason why it took them 17 years for them to make a public appearance was because they did not have nothing to show for and they had to make something up? Everyone in science has a big ego to fee with new and amazing imaginary discoveries.
I’m thrilled by this find and our continually improving understanding of our origins.
It’s only too bad palaeontologist Tim White and his colleagues felt, 17 years ago and for the last 17 years, that he needed to keep this a secret until they had prepared a complete and iron-clad case. The dim-minded attacks on especially physical anthropology, paleontology, anything near evolution, have manipulated and stunted progress for too long.
Academics of old built high Gothic walls to protect intellectualism, not only books and artifacts, but students and their own lives, from barbarian marauders. What a shame that scientists still today guard their work to such an extent that each and all of us are impeded. The walls around Oxbridge and imitators are beautiful in some respect but kept millions from learning. That was out of necessity as learning itself may not have otherwise survived.
Like university walls there is a beauty to today’s walls, in the mystery and excitement they encourage, or in the prestige scientists enjoy per their privileged knowledge.
However today these walls are not of necessity and they do not improve the life of the mind, rather this secrecy hurts science and hurts us all. It’s one thing to take time in preparing one’s work before formal publication, or even to put together a press conference and media kit for the big moments. It’s another thing entirely, and shameful, that science should feel it needs to hide important knowledge for 17 years.
Never mind that it was incomplete knowledge 17 years ago, or 16 years ago, or last year. While a relative few modern people maintain dim views of any such knowledge, at large modern society is keen enough to appreciate incomplete results. Science should take its cue from its kin, technology and release preview, alpha, and beta results.
Our general level of scientific literacy is shameful; but it is far more shameful that some of the greatest science still hides from us, in fear of us.