"She blinded me with science:" Ida, another "missing link," is nothing special after all

I can't think of any area of so-called "science" that's more characterized by fraud, cover-up, and wild extrapolation based on insufficient evidence than that of man's alleged ancestors (e.g., Nebraska Man; Java Man; Peking Man; Piltdown Man). When the discovery of Ida was announced, I was skeptical, and wondered how long it would take before it would be exposed as yet another "missing link" that turned out to be nothing of the kind. It comes as no surprise to this blogger that we now have the answer.

It's amusing to read that the scientists are having a difficult time finding a pigeonhole for Ida to fit into, so they might just have to invent a whole new species for her instead. Remember, this is science!

Remember Ida, the fossil discovery announced last May with its own book and TV documentary? A publicity blitz called it "the link" that would reveal the earliest evolutionary roots of monkeys, apes and humans. Experts protested that Ida wasn't even a close relative. And now a new analysis supports their reaction. In fact, Ida is as far removed from the monkey-ape-human ancestry as a primate could be, says Erik Seiffert of Stony Brook University in New York.

Speaking of missing links, I wonder when (not if) ardipithecus ramidus will be exposed as something considerably less than is claimed for it by its enthusiasts. It's only a matter of time until this one is shown to be true ape, true man--or hoax. And when that day comes, it will again come as no surprise to this blogger.