human evolution

Reporting on Ardi

Sat, 10/03/2009 - 21:30

Fifteen years ago in Ethiopia, back in 1994, a new species of extinct ape was discovered. Ardipithecus ramidus, or ‘Ardi’ for short has been the name given to a particular female specimen. You may have heard of this find recently, as the story has been doing the rounds with print press and online media. However, what you might not have heard, thankfully, is the slightly ridiculous coverage of Ardi from some outlets.

The Associated Press (AP) writers are well known for mistakes in public science reporting, and these mistakes are to be expected, even with a big find like Ardi. From Yahoo news though, you get this rather strange quote:

Ida on the BBC: When Science Communication Attacks

Tue, 05/26/2009 - 21:27

The Natural History Unit, and Sir David Attenborough in particular have a reputation for producing world class programs about life on Earth. Today, with "Uncovering Our Earliest Ancestor: The Link", about the Darwinius masillae fossil nicknamed "Ida" they let themselves down spectacularly.

Daily Mail Readers in Revolt over Black Ancestors

Tue, 05/05/2009 - 13:45

[bpsdb] The news that the human beings who first arrived in Europe 40,000 years ago were most likely Black (with some Asian and African features) has been met with alarm and panic among Daily Mail readers, who believe that archeology and anthropology have been caught up in some sort of dark, EU-funded "Ministry of Truth" project to force people to accept liberal values, and ban wholesome pursuits like gay-hunts and suchlike.