"Ida" in May, "Ardi" in October....

Now is time for "Ardi". This new finding did not generate a new genus or species in the hominin family, but is giving a lot of information to expand our knowledge about this early hominin group. During a meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, a publisher told me that his company was keeping "on hold" a new textbook because Tim White and colleagues were close to publish a new shocking fossil. The publisher had the correct information. "Ardi" is coming with a lot of attention from the press, as "Ida" did it not too long ago; but if we want to talk about human evolution, I think that "Ardi" deserves more attention. This new specimen belongs to a genus and species presented during the last decade of last century: Ardipithecus ramidus. The remains correspond to an adult female (4.4 myo), and it seems that she was not alone in Middle Awash (Ethiopia), because the team found dental remains from more than 30 individuals!! Today, Science journal presented "Ardi" on the cover and with 11 articles (47 authors) trying to describe her biology and behavior. A clear summary was presented in the same issue by science correspondent Ann Gibbons. It seems (so far) that "Ardi" was a facultative biped (biped on the ground and moving on all four legs on the trees). Maybe, this is not new for some early hominins, but the grasping foot anatomy calls for some attention. Ok, some colleagues say....is like an ape foot, but other anatomical features are not. Tim White (co-director of the Middle Awash team) pointed out in a very informative video that "Ardi" is another snapshot in our evolutionary history....but he says that this is one of the best and more complete snapshots.
This is the beginning for "Ardi" (and her relatives); a new shocking fossil that will have more than one cover in coming textbooks....