Scientists unveil fossil of 47 million-year-old primate, Darwinius masillae

I agree. I think the only way we can make a real determination is to wait and see how it plays out.Edited by Perdition, : Spelling.

Which is why I'm not a big fan of the way this discovery was trotted out to the world like it was a blockbuster movie premier. While I agree science needs to be pushed to the front pages of newspapers, it shouldn't do so in a way that can so easily blow up in our faces. Especially considering the enemies we're fighting: ignorance and deception.

That's the problem wiht the media. They need attention grabbing headlines in order to sell their papers/magazines/web subscriptions. A headline reading "Scientists Discover a New Fossil That May or May Not Be a Human Ancestor Pending More Information" is not as catchy, nor as sensationalistic as "Oldest Human Ancestor Ever Found!!!" And now, on the other end, "Ida Fossil May Not Be The Human Ancestor It's Discoverers Thought According To New Studies" isn't quite as "good" as "Fossil Hunters Wrong, Ida Not Human Ancestor!!!"It's sad that all most people know about science is filtered from actual science journals through Pop-Science magazines to a newspaper whose science desk is the second hat of the sports writer.

What's really unfortunate is that we have the means and the tools to get it out. There are some great science blogs and websites out there. The biggest obstacle is that people don't usually care, nor are they informed enough to understand anything said in actual "science-speak" unless it's boiled down and analogized.