Jaw of "missing link" found?

[This Guy]

This was in this morning's USA Today. The jaw and 11 teeth were found in 2005, and may be from the last common ancestor of us, and the apes.

"SCIENTISTS say a 10-million-year-old jaw bone in Kenya they believe belonged to a new species of great ape could be the legendary "missing link" in the evolution of apes to man."

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22756356-401,00.html

 

[Cainkane1]

I doubt if theres anyway of knowing for sure.

 

[This Guy]

I doubt if theres anyway of knowing for sure.

With a bit of luck, when they go back to the area of the jaw find, they will find some other bones and be able to make a better determination.

It certainly makes more sense to me (who has no knowledge to base this opinion on) that the apes would have evolved in Africa, rather than leaving, and then returning to Africa and evolving.

It's an interesting bit of news regardless, I think.

 

[slyjoe]

Not sure if it was the reporter or the scientists themselves who used the term "missing link", but I sure wish they would stop. Now they have created two more gaps.

 

[This Guy]

Not sure if it was the reporter or the scientists themselves who used the term "missing link", but I sure wish they would stop. Now they have created two more gaps.

I have to admit, that thought crossed my mind also. It would have been better to have left out the missing link phrase I think. Just stop at calling it a possible common ancestor, and let it go at that until more information becomes available at least.