Oldest primate skeleton discovered

[neo-x]

Oldest primate skeleton discovered

An international team of paleontologists that includes Northern Illinois University anthropologist Dan Gebo is announcing the discovery of a nearly complete, articulated skeleton of a new tiny, tree-dwelling primate dating back 55 million years.

The Eocene Epoch fossil was recovered from Hubei Province in central China.

"This is the oldest primate skeleton of this quality and completeness ever discovered and one of the most primitive primate fossils ever documented," Gebo said. "The origin of primates sets the first milestone for all primate lineages, including that of humanity.

"Although scientists have found primate teeth, jaws, occasionally skulls or a few limb bones from this time period, none of this evidence is as complete as this new skeleton from China," Gebo added. "With completeness comes more information and better evidence for the adaptive and evolutionary themes concerning primate evolution. It takes guessing out of the game."

[Silvertusk]

Well that is obviously a fake isn't it as nothing can be older than 10,000 years old.

[neo-x]

Well that is obviously a fake isn't it as nothing can be older than 10,000 years old.

You're kidding?

[Silvertusk]

Well that is obviously a fake isn't it as nothing can be older than 10,000 years old.

You're kidding?

What do you think?

[PaulSacramento]

Oldest primate skeleton discovered

An international team of paleontologists that includes Northern Illinois University anthropologist Dan Gebo is announcing the discovery of a nearly complete, articulated skeleton of a new tiny, tree-dwelling primate dating back 55 million years.

The Eocene Epoch fossil was recovered from Hubei Province in central China.

"This is the oldest primate skeleton of this quality and completeness ever discovered and one of the most primitive primate fossils ever documented," Gebo said. "The origin of primates sets the first milestone for all primate lineages, including that of humanity.

"Although scientists have found primate teeth, jaws, occasionally skulls or a few limb bones from this time period, none of this evidence is as complete as this new skeleton from China," Gebo added. "With completeness comes more information and better evidence for the adaptive and evolutionary themes concerning primate evolution. It takes guessing out of the game."

The same old issues will be raised, mainly: How accurate is the dating.

[jimoathome]

I know I will never believe that radiocarbon dating is accurate back to 55,000,000 years ago. There is no way to truly prove this testing procedure's accuracy. Just exactly what is there that can be dated, in a different, beyond any shadow of a doubt manner, to be millions of years old? Nothing. How much is known about the impact of carbon pollutants on radiocarbon dating? Not much. For example, the Shroud of Turin was in a fire. Fire produces carbon. How much could this carbon pollutant have affected the radiocarbon dating tests they have run on the Shroud? Probably a lot.

[hughfarey]

I know I will never believe that radiocarbon dating is accurate back to 55,000,000 years ago. There is no way to truly prove this testing procedure's accuracy. Just exactly what is there that can be dated, in a different, beyond any shadow of a doubt manner, to be millions of years old? Nothing. How much is known about the impact of carbon pollutants on radiocarbon dating? Not much. For example, the Shroud of Turin was in a fire. Fire produces carbon. How much could this carbon pollutant have affected the radiocarbon dating tests they have run on the Shroud? Probably a lot.

Carbon dating is only possible up to about 60 000 years ago, as C14 has quite a short half-life, and this new primate cannot have been dated that way. Fossils beds are dated by volcanic intrusions of other radioactive elements such as uranium, which decays very predictably to lead, and is not affected by atmospheric conditions.