All seems to be going wrong for IDA
Ida, a 47-million-year-old primate fossil from Messel, Germany , was grabbing headlines in press and television last week . But things doesn’t seems to be going fine for poor ida and extensive media hype has played a major role.
Darwinius , famously called as Ida is an amazing fossil discovery ,which is not only complete but also extraordinarily preserved. One can also see parts of her last meal preserved inside ida’s stomach. But media is more interested in the missing link factor ,which according many experts in the field is extensively hyped. One can also see major differences in original article published in Plos One and media release.
But the fossil is wonderful ,images of ida are awesome ( both in article and webpage) Hope it gets the credit it deserves .
She truly is an amazing find, but for now I think that she has taught us more about science communication than our ancestry.–Brian Switek
I am not an expert when it comes to fossils , so check what people who knows more about bones has to say on latest article in Plos one
Brian Switek – The dangerous link between science and hype
and Poor, poor Ida, Or: “Overselling an Adapid”
Greg Mayer– Why Evolution is True
Ed Yong — Darwinius changes everything
Carl Zimmer – Media and science
Image Credit : Franzen JL, Gingerich PD, Habersetzer J, Hurum JH, von Koenigswald W, et al. (2009) Complete Primate Skeleton from the Middle Eocene of Messel in Germany: Morphology and Paleobiology. PLoS ONE 4(5): e5723. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0005723
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