Re: Hyper-reductionism gone mad? - "Hominins are a single lineage"

From: HAY DUMMY! (you_at_idiots.org)
Date: 02/08/05 

Date: Tue, 08 Feb 2005 00:49:06 -0600

yes. all old arguements followed the bell curve. that was immediately after
the straight line and crystal spheres theory! Now that we are a corporate
culture
where units are consumers, all simple theories have come back, to bypass
gridlock and bankruptcy.

firstjois wrote:

> Ross Macfarlane wrote:
> >> Another article referenced in palanth.com. This makes an
> >> extraordinary claim: that all hominid fossils from 5 MYA to the
> >> present fit a bell curve for a single evolving species...
> >>
> >> Ross Macfarlane
> >>
> >> http://tinyurl.com/6z5jp
> >>
> >> Hominins are a single lineage: brain and body size variability does
> >> not reflect postulated taxonomic diversity of hominins
> >>
> >> M. Henneberg, and C. de Miguel
> >>
> >> Biological Anthropology and Comparative Anatomy Research Unit
> >> (BACARU), Department of Anatomical Sciences, Medical School, The
> >> University of Adelaide, Adelaide SA 5005, Australia
> >>
> >> Received 20 June 2003; accepted 1 March 2004. Available online 30
> >> September 2004.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Abstract
> >> Fossil hominin taxonomy is still debated, chiefly due to the
> >> fragmentary nature of fossils and the use of qualitative (subjective)
> >> morphological traits. A quantitative analysis of a complete database
> >> of hominin cranial capacities (CC, n=207) and body weight estimates
> >> (Wt, n=285), covering a period from 5.1 ma (millions of years) to 10
> >> ka (thousands of years) shows no discontinuities through time or
> >> geographic latitude. Distributions of residuals of CC and Wt around
> >> regressions on date and latitude are continuous and do not differ
> >> significantly from normal. Thus, with respect to these
> >> characteristics, all hominins appear to be a single gradually
> >> evolving lineage.
>
> Wasn't there an old argument that went like this? Can't remember who the
> proponents were, just sounds familiar.
>
> Jois

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