The ‘missing links’ are still missing!
“Missing link discovered!”
We’ve heard it so many times that it’s no wonder most people believe we evolved from apes or ape-like ancestors. But if we examine these claims more closely, and the evidence they are based upon, the whole theory begins to look very shaky.
Even the experts can’t agree about our supposed evolutionary history and how to arrange the various fossils to make a family tree.
We’ve probably all seen diagrams which depict the supposed progression from apes to humans. Not all evolutionists accept this, including Dr Henry Gee, editor of the top science journal ‘Nature’, who wrote: “We have all seen the canonical parade of apes, each one becoming more human. We know that, as a depiction of evolution, this line-up is tosh. Yet we cling to it. Ideas of what human evolution ought to have been like still colour our debates.”
‘Piltdown Man’: planted by a hoaxer
There have been numerous mistakes and hoaxes, and initial claims that transitional forms have been discovered have proved wrong. In 1912, part of a skull and jawbone were unearthed in a gravel pit at the East Sussex village of Piltdown. It was named ‘Piltdown Man’, and remained in our supposed family tree until 1953.
Then, a more detailed examination of the fossils revealed that an unknown hoaxer – who probably wanted to prove that we evolved from apes – had planted a human skull fragment and ape’s jaw after filing the teeth and colouring the bones to make them look old, fooling both the experts and the public for 41 years!
‘Nebraska Man’: from a wild pig’s tooth
On 22 June 1922, The Illustrated London News published a two-page spread, headed, “The earliest man tracked by a tooth; an ‘astounding discovery’”. The picture showed an ape-man and his wife.
What was it based upon? A single tooth, found in Nebraska, USA. Said to possess the characteristics of both apes and humans, it was named ‘Nebraska Man’. Not long afterwards, it was revealed that the tooth belonged to a peccary – a type of wild pig!
‘Ida’: just a lemur’s fossil
Attenborough claimed she was a missing link (Photo: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.5)
In May 2009, the media reported the discovery of a “47-million-year-old” fossil primate nick-named ‘Ida’. Norwegian scientist Dr Jørn Hurum, who bought it from a private collector for £465,000, said it was “the closest thing we can get to a direct ancestor” and described the discovery as “a dream come true”.
Sir David Attenborough said: “The link they would have said up to now is missing – well it’s no longer missing,” and the BBC hastily arranged a special documentary presented by Sir David.
Many scientists criticised the media hype, since the fossil resembled modern lemurs, and less than six months later it was admitted that ‘Ida’ was just a lemur after all, and no ancestor of ours! Despite this, a special website promoting ‘Ida’ has still not been taken down.
In God’s image
When you next hear claims that an “ape-man” has been found, take it with a pinch of salt. There is strong evidence that the gulf between humans and apes that we see today has always existed.
The Bible tells us that “God created man in his own image” (Genesis 1:27), for a relationship with him. We are “a little lower than the heavenly beings” (Psalm 8:5), not a little higher than the apes!
There is no convincing evidence to contradict this.
More information from Creation Resources Trust: www.crt.org.uk