Tuesday, June 2, 2009 | Reason : Anthropology | print version

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New Hominid 12 Million Years Old Found In Spain, With 'Modern' Facial Features

by Science Daily

Thanks to Scott for the link.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090602083729.htm

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Researchers have discovered a fossilized face and jaw from a previously unknown hominoid primate genus in Spain dating to the Middle Miocene era, roughly 12 million years ago. Nicknamed "Lluc," the male bears a strikingly "modern" facial appearance with a flat face, rather than a protruding one. The finding sheds important new light on the evolutionary development of hominids, including orangutans, chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas and humans.

In a study appearing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Salvador Moyà-Solà, director of the Institut Català de Paleontologia (ICP) at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, and colleagues present evidence for the new genus and species, dubbed Anoiapithecus brevirostris. The scientific name is derived from the region where the fossil was found (l’Anoia) and also from its "modern" facial morphology, characterized by a very short face.

The research team at the ICP also includes collaborator David M. Alba, predoctoral researcher Sergio Almécija, postdoctoral researcher Isaac Casanovas, researcher Meike Köhler, postdoctoral researcher Soledad De Esteban, collaborator Josep M. Robles, curator Jordi Galindo, and predoctoral researcher Josep Fortuny.

Their findings are based on a partial cranium that preserves most of the face and the associated mandible. The cranium was unearthed in 2004 in the fossil-rich area of Abocador de Can Mata (els Hostalets de Pierola, l’Anoia, Barcelona), where remains of other fossilized hominid species have been found. Preparing the fossil for study was a complicated process, due to the fragility of the remains. But once the material was available for analysis, the results were surprising: The specimen (IPS43000) combined a set of features that, until now, had never been found in the fossil record.
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http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090602083729.htm

Posted: Tuesday, June 2, 2009 | Permalink

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1. Comment #384070 by Greybishop on June 2, 2009 at 3:37 pm

As always, science rocks.

I'm just watching "The Link" about the recently revealed primate fossil found in Germany. Fascinating.

I can't wait to hear more about this latest find.

Other Comments by Greybishop

2. Comment #384080 by SixxSixxSixx on June 2, 2009 at 4:02 pm

What a friendly fellow he looks. I'd like to have seen a photo. Edit. (of the bones, obviously)

Other Comments by SixxSixxSixx

3. Comment #384102 by TonyA on June 2, 2009 at 4:27 pm

Curious person: "Very interesting. I hope we can learn more about this."

Creationist: "Bah, just another of the monkey kind."

[edit: mmurray is right. I had "theist" where I meant "creationist."]

Other Comments by TonyA

4. Comment #384134 by Metch on June 2, 2009 at 5:04 pm

Artist: Using artistic and deductive reasoning, I can construct an image of what this creature might have looked like.

Creationist: This just proves there was a different kind of monkey back then, plus the dating methods are wrong, and how do they get a whole painting from a piece of skull, and science is a religion, and they have faith that that's what it looks like, and monkeys eat their poo, and the bible says this, and the bible says that, and God loves me and hates you because you're reasonable and I'm not, and, and... *sound of lightning burning human flesh*

Moral:

Shit happens.

Other Comments by Metch

5. Comment #384137 by mordacious1 on June 2, 2009 at 5:08 pm

I think he looks like Pierolapithecus catalaunicus which was also found in Spain in 2004:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4014351.stm

I'd like to see pictures of the bones before the artist added hair.

Other Comments by mordacious1

6. Comment #384143 by BlueCollar8theist on June 2, 2009 at 5:28 pm

Absolutely fascinating discovery! On a side note, it does bear a striking resemblence to my mother-in-law.

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7. Comment #384144 by pipsy on June 2, 2009 at 5:31 pm

Creationist God told me to go apeshit!

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8. Comment #384146 by HarlanEllisonFan on June 2, 2009 at 5:41 pm

Better visuals please... that painting kinda stinks.

Other Comments by HarlanEllisonFan

9. Comment #384162 by William Carlton on June 2, 2009 at 7:25 pm

Looks like he just went to Great Clips and asked for the douchebag emo-kid look.

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10. Comment #384172 by astronomer24 on June 2, 2009 at 8:25 pm

"Looks like he just went to Great Clips and asked for the douchebag emo-kid look."

Haha so true.

Other Comments by astronomer24

11. Comment #384181 by Mbee on June 2, 2009 at 9:14 pm

Looks remarkably well preserved for its age!
Where are the real pictures of the fossils?
Sorry but artists impressions don't count as evidence.

Other Comments by Mbee

12. Comment #384184 by Bonzai on June 2, 2009 at 9:35 pm

Cool looking dude. I wish I have one as a pet.

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13. Comment #384185 by Goldy on June 2, 2009 at 9:38 pm

11. Comment #384181 by Mbee
http://zinjanthropus.wordpress.com/2009/06/02/anoiapithecus/

Other Comments by Goldy

14. Comment #384186 by Goldy on June 2, 2009 at 9:41 pm

And here
http://anthropology.net/2009/06/02/anoiapithecus-brevirostris-and-the-origins-of-great-apes-humans/

Same picture, mind...

Other Comments by Goldy

15. Comment #384188 by Goldy on June 2, 2009 at 9:42 pm

Here's the paper
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2009/06/01/0811730106.full.pdf html

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16. Comment #384192 by Dave White on June 2, 2009 at 10:02 pm

Does anyone else think this drawing of this hominoid looks like the classic painting of William Shakespeare?

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17. Comment #384200 by Fuzzy Duck on June 2, 2009 at 11:02 pm

Quite an amiable looking fellow. Exciting news.

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18. Comment #384201 by mmurray on June 2, 2009 at 11:09 pm

Theist: "Bah, just another of the monkey kind."

Hi TonyA I know it's fun to vent but really there are many theists who believe whole heartedly in evolution and would be as fascinated in this as we atheists are. I was educated back in the 70's by Marist Brothers and weird though they were in many ways -- particular the fascination some had with caning -- they would have rightly regarded creationists as nutters. Ditto my relatives who go to mass every Sunday.

Michael

Other Comments by mmurray

19. Comment #384209 by sunbeamforjesus on June 3, 2009 at 12:51 am

It's Bill Oddie!

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20. Comment #384217 by gos on June 3, 2009 at 1:50 am

18. Comment #384201 by mmurray

Ditto my relatives who go to mass every Sunday.

Ditto, they would regard creationists as nutters, or ditto, they would be regarded as nutters by Marist Brothers?

Generally speaking, it's not always clear from the context which group of religionists regard which other groups as nutters...

Other Comments by gos

21. Comment #384223 by robaylesbury on June 3, 2009 at 2:28 am

Looks like Ken Hamm.

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22. Comment #384228 by mmurray on June 3, 2009 at 2:57 am

Ditto, they would regard creationists as nutters, or ditto, they would be regarded as nutters by Marist Brothers?

No the Marist Brothers would like my family as they were paying the school fees. Seriously what I meant was both my family and the Marist Brothers would think creationists were nutters.

Maybe things have changed now as it must be 40 years since I paid any attention to the finer details of the Catholic Church in Australia but the people I grew up with obeyed a particular subset of the CC rules and ignored the rest: they went to mass regularly, prayed when things were tough, went to confession, baptised and confirmed their kids, ate fish and chips on Friday's and used birth control. I don't know how much of the detail they believed as Australian's mostly regard it as bad taste to talk about religion amongst friends.

I cut back a bit on this and just stuck with the eating fish and chips on Fridays.

Michael

Other Comments by mmurray

23. Comment #384250 by pipsy on June 3, 2009 at 4:35 am

It is pot-noodle Wednesday for me today and tomorrow is beans on toast Thursday!

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24. Comment #384280 by Mbee on June 3, 2009 at 6:39 am

Thanks Goldy, I appreciate the links.
Why didn't they put them in the article or at least link to them! Or maybe I missed it!

Other Comments by Mbee

25. Comment #384282 by Roger Stanyard on June 3, 2009 at 6:50 am

Generally speaking, it's not always clear from the context which group of religionists regard which other groups as nutters...

A good rule of thumb is that cretinists regard Catholics as nutters. However, the one thing that fundies/cretinists all hate like poison is other fundies.

Everyone is reminded that the mad professor of theormodynamics at Leeds University (Andy McIntosh) believes that no-one can be a Christian unless they believe in his young earth creationist opinions.

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26. Comment #384315 by -TheCodeCrack- on June 3, 2009 at 8:41 am

Excellent. This is a very massive find.

Other Comments by -TheCodeCrack-

27. Comment #384464 by TonyA on June 3, 2009 at 4:42 pm

mmurray: