Page 48 - The Evolution Impasse 1
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A Australopithecines
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t terms of skull and
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s skeletal structure, ,
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t to modern apes. .
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ma; the name means “southern ape.” show that they were no different from
This creature is thought to have first ap- modern apes.
peared in Africa 4 million years ago and Despite the fact that Australopithe-
lived until one million years ago. All the cus had the anatomy of an ape, evolutio-
species of Australopithecus [A. aferen- nists claim that unlike other apes, it wal-
sis, A. africanus, A. boisei. A. robustus ked upright like a human. But the skele-
(or Zinjanthropus)], comprise an extinct tal structure of Australopithecus has be-
genus of apes that closely resembles en studied my many scientists who reject
apes we see today. the validity of this claim. Two world-re-
Their brain volume is the same or nowned anatomists, Lord Solly Zucker-
slightly smaller than that of a modern man from England and Prof. Charles
chimpanzee. Like modern apes, they had Oxnard of the U.S.A., did an extensive
protrusions on their hands and feet to fa- study of Australopithecus remains and
cilitate climbing trees, and their feet we- determined that this creature didn’t walk
re shaped to allow them to grasp tree on two feet and moved in a way quite
branches. They were short (130 centime- different from that of humans.
ters, or 51 inches at the most), and like Lord Zuckerman, with the support of
modern apes, males were much larger the British government and a team of fi-
than the females. Many features of their ve experts, examined the bones of this
skulls—the position of their eyes close creature for a period of 15 years. Even
together, their sharp molar teeth, jaw though he was an evolutionist, he conc-
structure—long arms, and short legs luded that Australopithecus was a speci-
THE EVOLUTION IMPASSE I
