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人类学考古的重大发现
Anthropologist challenges species identification of ancient child skeleton found in Ethiopia
Pitt's Jeffrey Schwartz, who with colleague Ian Tattersall compiled the entire human fossil record, says specimen is not from Ethiopia and classification is premature
According to University of Pittsburgh anthropology professor Jeffrey Schwartz, author of the four-volume The Human Fossil Record (Wiley-Liss, 2002-05), "the discovery of any largely complete skeleton of an ancient human relative would be unique. The fact that it is a child makes it even more exciting because of what its bones and teeth might reveal that an adult's cannot."
However, Schwartz said, there are questions about the species this specimen represents. He explained that the problem is that "Lucy" and this child specimen from Dikika have been placed in Australopithecus afarensis, which is not from Ethiopia but from Laetoli, a site in Tanzania thousands of kilometers to the south. But while other specimens from Laetoli are similar to this specimen, defined as A. afarensis, a recent study of virtually all the fossils from Lucy's region of Hadar by Schwartz and Ian Tattersall, curator of anthropology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, has revealed that none is similar in detail to the fossils from Laetoli.
"This means, of course, that no Hadar specimen is A. afarensis," said Schwartz, a fellow of the prestigious World Academy of Arts and Science.
Just as Donald Johanson, discoverer of the 3.2 million-year old Lucy, initially suggested, Schwartz and Tattersall found there is more than one kind of hominid represented in the Hadar material.
"Since the chewing surfaces of the Dikika child's teeth have not yet been exposed, one cannot compare it with any of the Hadar specimens or with the type specimen of A. afarensis from Laetoli," Schwarz explained. "Until this can be done, one cannot tell whether the Dikika child really is the first specimen of Ethiopian A. afarensis or, if not, whether it compares favorably with one of the hominids from Hadar or it represents a different taxon altogether." 可以认领吗? Anthropologist challenges species identification of ancient child skeleton found in Ethiopia
人类学家为埃塞俄比亚发现的古代儿童骨头鉴别人种
Pitt's Jeffrey Schwartz, who with colleague Ian Tattersall compiled the entire human fossil record, says specimen is not from Ethiopia and classification is premature
负责编译全人类化石纪录的Pitt's Jeffrey Schwartz和他的同事Ian Tattersall说标本并不是来自埃塞俄比亚，目前分类时机还不成熟。
According to University of Pittsburgh anthropology professor Jeffrey Schwartz, author of the four-volume The Human Fossil Record (Wiley-Liss, 2002-05), "the discovery of any largely complete skeleton of an ancient human relative would be unique. The fact that it is a child makes it even more exciting because of what its bones and teeth might reveal that an adult's cannot."
根据匹兹堡大学人类学教授，四卷人类化石记录的作者Jeffrey Schwartz所说，任何大的、完整的古代人类的骨骼的发现都将是独特的，而这次发现的是个儿童的骨骼，这无疑更加令人兴奋，因为他的骨头和牙齿能提供给我们比成年人更多的资料。
However, Schwartz said, there are questions about the species this specimen represents. He explained that the problem is that "Lucy" and this child specimen from Dikika have been placed in Australopithecus afarensis, which is not from Ethiopia but from Laetoli, a site in Tanzania thousands of kilometers to the south. But while other specimens from Laetoli are similar to this specimen, defined as A. afarensis, a recent study of virtually all the fossils from Lucy's region of Hadar by Schwartz and Ian Tattersall, curator of anthropology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, has revealed that none is similar in detail to the fossils from Laetoli.
然而，Schwartz说，这个标本表现出的人种还是有点问题。他解释说，问题在于露西（最著名的成人骨骼）和在Dikika发现的这个儿童骨骼属于Australopithecus afarensis南猿阿法 种（看见网页：www.ecocn.org/forum/archiver/?tid-1014.html），后者不起源于埃塞俄比亚而是起源于距此几千公里以南的坦桑尼亚利特里。虽然，来源于利特里的其它标本与今次发现的标本和相似，被归为南猿阿法种，位于纽约的美国自然历史博物馆的馆长Schwartz and Ian Tattersall最近对露西地区所有的化石所做的的研究却提示从两者在细节上没有相同之处。
"This means, of course, that no Hadar specimen is A. afarensis," said Schwartz, a fellow of the prestigious World Academy of Arts and Science.
世界艺术和科学界享有声望的的科学家Schwartz说：“当然，这表明， Hadar 地区没有南猿阿法种”
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作者:admin@医学,生命科学 2011-01-14 17:14
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