Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
nine
But then with me the horrid doubt always arises whether
the convictions of man's mind, which has been developed
from the mind of the lower animals, are of any value or at
all trustworthy.
Charles Darwin
Because I have had the good fortune to study the endocasts of Taung and
Hobbit, I have gained a perspective not only about their brains but also
concerning the paleopolitics and theoretical tensions that have domi-
nated paleoanthropology since 1925. For this reason,
The Fossil Chronicles
has focused primarily on a comparison of the discoveries and impacts
of
Australopithecus africanus
(in the 1920s) and
Homo floresiensis
(in the first
decade of the twenty-first century). It is important to keep in mind, how-
ever, that these two species are part of a larger framework of significant
hominin finds that have come to light since the mid-nineteenth century.
A comparison of the discoveries of Neanderthal (1856),
Pithecanthropus
erectus
(1891), so-called Piltdown Man (1912),
Australopithecus africanus
(1925),
and
Homo floresiensis
(2004) shows that each was greeted with intense
excitement, awe, controversy, and consternation from not only scientists
but also often the public. People, it seems, have always loved to quibble
about “missing links.”
As discussed in the earlier chapters, our contemporary views of human
origins have been molded, to some extent, by chance. What would have
happened if there had been no Piltdown hoax? Would the significance
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