Ancient ancestors of humans, apes and monkeys evolved in Asia

[EmoBorg]

The article below by the daily mail reports that the earliest primates had their origins in Asia rather than Africa.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...ent-ancestor-walked-Sahara-39m-years-ago.html

It is a very interesting article.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

I'm skeptical of the Daily Fail's motives here given their political and social bent. There's a pretty massive gap between 39 million and 2-3 million years ago for them to start saying human evolution "started" in Asia instead of Africa. If you're going to go back that far just to distance humankind from originating in Africa you might as well go back to the earliest mammals too.

You notice that the scientists themselves didn't frame it the same way the Daily Fail did. They said one of the lineages that came from these primates eventually resulted in humans, not that humans originated in Asia. It could be nothing, it could be the Fail just misinterpreting their meaning, but given some of their questionable reporting in the past, I wouldn't put it past them to have a more dubious intent with that title.

 

[EmoBorg]

I have read that they are an UK conservative newspaper but at least they accept evolution.

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

I have read that they are an UK conservative newspaper but at least they accept evolution.

It gives them hope.

 

[M'Sharak]

I have read that they are an UK conservative newspaper but at least they accept evolution.

To say that the Daily Mail is "an UK conservative newspaper" somehow fails to adequately describe the character of that publication.

I have seen the Daily Mail do a decently-reported story once in a while, so I know it's something they can do. On the rare occasions when they do report a story more or less factually, however, I suspect that it's largely due to their inability to find an angle which is effective at whipping the less-discerning of their readership into a froth.

 

[scotpens]

For those who may not be familiar with the Daily Mail, the tone of that publication is well summed up by the Daily Mail Random Headline Generator.

 

[Pingfah]

I'm skeptical of the Daily Fail's motives here given their political and social bent. There's a pretty massive gap between 39 million and 2-3 million years ago for them to start saying human evolution "started" in Asia instead of Africa. If you're going to go back that far just to distance humankind from originating in Africa you might as well go back to the earliest mammals too.

You notice that the scientists themselves didn't frame it the same way the Daily Fail did. They said one of the lineages that came from these primates eventually resulted in humans, not that humans originated in Asia. It could be nothing, it could be the Fail just misinterpreting their meaning, but given some of their questionable reporting in the past, I wouldn't put it past them to have a more dubious intent with that title.

I suspect it is just sketchy writing, the Daily Mail despises all foreigners equally.

 

[EmoBorg]

You guys seem to be more interested in the messenger than the message.

The idea of primates having an asian origin is intriguing. It is just amazing how ancient primates traveled from continent to continent and their later descendants, the homo sapiens did the same 50 000 to 60 000 years ago. Other humanoid species have left Africa even earlier and settled elsewhere.

 

[sojourner]

This particular messenger is known for bringing false messages.

 

[Nerys Myk]

You guys seem to be more interested in the messenger than the message.

The idea of primates having an asian origin is intriguing. It is just amazing how ancient primates traveled from continent to continent and their later descendants, the homo sapiens did the same 50 000 to 60 000 years ago. Other humanoid species have left Africa even earlier and settled elsewhere.

It's interesting, but not unusual. I believe the earliest ancestors of the horses evolved in the Americas and migrated to Eurasia.

 

[RJDiogenes]

I suspect it is just sketchy writing, the Daily Mail despises all foreigners equally.

I think it's probably more about calling science into question. "They say one thing one day and something else the next." My relatives always try stuff like that to support their religion.

 

[Pingfah]

That's not really the Mail's bag though, they aren't particularly anti-science, or pro-creationism or anything like that. That sort of extreme religion has virtually no traction at all in mainstream British news publications, or politics.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

I have read that they are an UK conservative newspaper but at least they accept evolution.

To say that the Daily Mail is "an UK conservative newspaper" somehow fails to adequately describe the character of that publication.

I have seen the Daily Mail do a decently-reported story once in a while, so I know it's something they can do. On the rare occasions when they do report a story more or less factually, however, I suspect that it's largely due to their inability to find an angle which is effective at whipping the less-discerning of their readership into a froth.

My favorite stories are ones where they have no agenda, they just report it genuinely terribly. Like this gem of a story about the Roman Empire.

While Turkey was under the Roman Empire for a time, it was pushed back by the Carthaginians - making this find a demonstration of the surprising reach and cultural influence of the Roman Empire in the area during the third and fourth centuries AD.

 

[EmoBorg]

I actually like to read the Daily Mail online but I did not know that their reporting was sometimes dubious.

 

[RJDiogenes]

That's not really the Mail's bag though, they aren't particularly anti-science, or pro-creationism or anything like that. That sort of extreme religion has virtually no traction at all in mainstream British news publications, or politics.

Oh, okay. If a story like that appeared here, I'd be inclined to read it that way.

 

[ITL]

I have read that they are an UK conservative newspaper but at least they accept evolution.

To say that the Daily Mail is "an UK conservative newspaper" somehow fails to adequately describe the character of that publication.

I have seen the Daily Mail do a decently-reported story once in a while, so I know it's something they can do. On the rare occasions when they do report a story more or less factually, however, I suspect that it's largely due to their inability to find an angle which is effective at whipping the less-discerning of their readership into a froth.

You should read what Stephen Fry has to say about the Daily Mail...

 

[M'Sharak]

I have read that they are an UK conservative newspaper but at least they accept evolution.

To say that the Daily Mail is "an UK conservative newspaper" somehow fails to adequately describe the character of that publication.

I have seen the Daily Mail do a decently-reported story once in a while, so I know it's something they can do. On the rare occasions when they do report a story more or less factually, however, I suspect that it's largely due to their inability to find an angle which is effective at whipping the less-discerning of their readership into a froth.

You should read what Stephen Fry has to say about the Daily Mail...

Read it yesterday. (If you scroll down far enough in the notes you'd probably be able to spot where I reblogged it a couple of times, but that'd be the tedious way to go about it.)

I actually like to read the Daily Mail online but I did not know that their reporting was sometimes dubious.

How can you have read Daily Mail articles (more than one or two, presumably) online or anywhere else for any length of time and not have noticed the frequently dubious nature of their reporting?

 

[EmoBorg]

I like to read the celebrity gossip on the Daily Mail website. I am not afraid to admit it.

 

[M'Sharak]

I like to read the celebrity gossip on the Daily Mail website. I am not afraid to admit it.

Ah, okay. You're probably better off sticking with that than reading the bulk of their "news" content.

 

[Nerys Myk]

My favorite stories are ones where they have no agenda, they just report it genuinely terribly. Like this gem of a story about the Roman Empire.

While Turkey was under the Roman Empire for a time, it was pushed back by the Carthaginians - making this find a demonstration of the surprising reach and cultural influence of the Roman Empire in the area during the third and fourth centuries AD.

That made my head hurt.