There is little question by anyone in the field of paleontology that Ida is a remarkable specimen. The journal paper, available to the public from the Public Library of Science, 2 consists primarily of a detailed description of the structure and paleobiology (the study of the biology ancient creatures) of the fossil. Radioactive isotopes in Messel’s volcanic rocks indicate Ida lived 47 million years ago during the Eocene period. She is an alleged ancestor of modern lemurs called a Haplorrhine.

The 95%-complete fossil reveals a creature the size of a small raccoon with traits similar to both lemurs and small monkeys. Ida, officially known as Darwinius masillae, was originally unearthed by an amateur in 1983 from a famous fossil graveyard called Messel Pit, an ancient crater lake in Germany. How does Ida fair by this analysis? What can we adduce from the evidence by applying our three steps of critical thinking? Just the Facts, Ma’am Check to see if there is a good fit between the inferences drawn and the facts that they are allegedly based on. Next, note the inferences and implications others have drawn from the facts. Instead, they separate the wheat from the chaff by calmly applying a three-step plan that is the core of all critical thinking.įirst, get a clear fix on the facts themselves. When faced with such challenges, good ambassadors do not immediately react with scorn, derision, and abuse. Though this fossil find is remarkable in many ways, it is not unlike other discoveries touted as the final nail in the coffin of creation, which pronouncements, on closer examination, turn out to be premature with the discovery that the body was not quite dead yet. All this before other researchers in the scientific community had a chance to even begin to evaluate the claims. The public announcement of the paper coincided with a PR campaign worthy of a rock star: a glitzy promotional website 1 heralding “the link uncovering our earliest ancestor” features on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” “Nightline,” and “World News” a full-length documentary entitled “The Link” aired on the History Channel and a new book of the same title with advance distribution of over 100,000 copies. Fox News referred to Ida as a “Holy Grail” fossil that had instantly attained “celebrity” status. The TimesOnline headline read, “Fossil find provides ‘missing link’ in human evolution.” National Geographic rendered the phrase “’MISSING LINK’ FOUND” in all caps-in net-speak the equivalent to shouting. Secular sources heralded the discovery in glowing terms. Ida has been variously described as the “eighth wonder of the world” and “the final piece of Darwin’s jigsaw.” The spectacular fossil was named Ida after the six-year-old daughter of Professor Jorn Hurum of Norway’s National History Museum who headed up the research team. It documented the discovery of an elegantly structured, beautifully preserved fossil of a haplorrhine, an ancient primate thought to be ancestor to both modern-day lemurs and “higher” primates, including human beings. In May of this year, a scientific paper was released that fanned the flames of the evolution/intelligent design debate to new intensity.

Lucy the missing link