Discovering Ardi - Building Ardi's World - 10/11 @ 9pm E/P on Discovery

The two-hour special premieres this Sunday, October 11th @ 9pm E/P on Discovery.
http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/ardipithecus/ardipithecus.html?smid=YTDSC-YTD-SHP

Scientists returned to the Ethiopian desert year after year to search for fossilized evidence of the plants and animals that lived with Ardi.

Following publication in the journal Science on the discovery and study of a 4.4 million-year-old female partial skeleton nicknamed "Ardi," Discovery Channel will present a world premiere special, DISCOVERING ARDI, Sunday October 11 at 9 PM (ET/PT) documenting the sustained, intensive investigation leading up to this landmark publication of the Ardipithecus ramidus fossils.

UNDERSTANDING ARDI, a one-hour special produced in collaboration with CBS News will air at 11 PM (ET/PT) immediately following DISCOVERING ARDI. The special is moderated by former CBS and CNN anchor Paula Zahn and includes research team members Dr. Tim White, Dr. Yohannes Haile-Selassie, Dr. Giday WoldeGabriel, Dr. Owen Lovejoy, and science journalist Ann Gibbons

The scientific investigation began in the Ethiopian desert 17 years ago, and now opens a new chapter on human evolution, revealing the first evolutionary steps our ancestors took after we diverged from a common ancestor we once shared with living chimpanzees. "Ardi's" centerpiece skeleton, the other hominids she lived with, and the rocks, soils, plants and animals that made up her world were analyzed in laboratories around the world, and the scientists have now published their findings in the prestigious journal Science.

"Ardi" is now the oldest skeleton from our (hominid) branch of the primate family tree. These Ethiopian discoveries reveal an early grade of human evolution in Africa that predated the famous Australopithecus nicknamed "Lucy." Ardipithecus was a woodland creature with a small brain, long arms, and short legs. The pelvis and feet show a primitive form of two-legged walking on the ground, but Ardipithecus was also a capable tree climber, with long fingers and big toes that allowed their feet to grasp like an ape's. The discoveries answer old questions about how hominids became bipedal.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• discovery
• channel
• special
• discovering
• ardi
• ardipithecus
• ramidus
• fossil
• fossils
• CBS
• CNN
• Tim
• White
• Paula
• Zahn
• Dr.
• 4.4
• million
• skeleton
• Lucy
• Science
• research
• ancestors
• ancestry
• ancient
• evolution
• evolutionary
• bipedal
• australopithecus
• primate
• apes
• africa
• ethiopia

[abyssquick]

Go to a geology class and learn how fossilization works. It's a rare event to begin with. Some soils are very conducive to forming them, such as calcerous ones, or old seabeds. There are entire areas like this that are -nothing but- fossils, if you know where to look. Land mammals (such as hominids) don't tend to live in these common places, for one. So you really have to know your geology and a bit of natural chemistry before you can make an educated comment on the frequency of fossils.

[abyssquick]

Right this is YouTube. Only punditry and argumentative calisthenics allowed.

[puncheex]

@YouSmellLikePOOO: It certainly does smell, when your "they" turns out to be a raging torrect of a single person, cheered on by all the neo-nazis one can dig out of the ant hill who can read. No living anthropologist or paleontologist would support Fuerle's thesis.

Not very interesting at all.

[DarwinsFriend]

Honestly - You are a certified FuckTard and I refuse to waste another keystroke on your pathetic ass. Have a nice - mentally defective life.

[YouSmellLikePOOO]

Honestly, to start your learning process purchase these books researched and published by PhD holders and professors:

Race, Evolution, and Behavior: A Life History Perspective - Dr. J. P. Rushton

Race Differences in Intelligence: An Evolutionary Analysis - Dr. R. Lynn

If you attend College or University and have access to peer reviewed journals, then have a look at:

Brain size, cranial morphology, climate, and time machine - Dr. K. L. Beals, Dr. C. L. Smith, & Dr. S. M. Dodd

[DarwinsFriend]

Well, actually - this Pope (and any Pope) has to have his feet held to the fire before they make a formal proclamation of change - in response to scientific discoveries.

This particular one goes directly to the source of the papal power. Genesis 1:27 "God created man in His own image."

His business doesn't work without this fairy tale. It's your connection with your Creator.

One of the basic pillars of religion is getting people to relate on a personal basis. Admitting otherwise is weakness.

[061369317]

Get your facts straight man, current pope, as well as the previous one, plainly supports the evolution theory.

This isn't true for some protestant denominations, notwithstanding traditional jewish of fundamentalist muslim

groups.

Sorry for your gripe about catholics, I'm affraid you'll have to find something else ;-)

[DarwinsFriend]

@AA32m7io1

What's funny is Smithsonian magazine has also bought into this - you think they'd be smarter than that.

Now, supposedly, there's 70 different groups of scientists discovering various creatures in this area of Africa, going back 7 million years.

Wonder how the Pope's going to explain this stuff away. LOL!

[DarwinsFriend]

@YouSmellLikePOOO

To all that it may concern, this person is an idiot.

Avoid at all costs and don't waste a single calorie on viewing this thing's posts - absolute trash.

[YouSmellLikePOOO]

There is a lot of scientific research being suppressed because of politics.

PhD holders have discovered that the Homo-Erectus species is still present today. To learn more just google "Erectus Walks Amongst Us Chap9" for the research papers.

They have discovered that the modern homo-erectus species has a smaller endocranial volume, meaning a smaller brain. They also have a more prominently sloped head and a larger jaw, which better relates to gorillas and orang utans.

Very interesting.