| MadSci Network: Evolution |
Dear D. Baker:
As a biological anthropologist I believe that the consensus of scientists researching human evolution maintain the perspective that Homo sapiens is a member of the family Hominidae. This family includes all of the hominids since the time that we split off from a common ancestor with the chimps (roughly 5 million years ago).
Lumsden and Wilson, in their book Promethean Fire claimed that Homo sapiens should be put into a separate family due to abilities of language and symbolic thought. However, most paleoanthropologists would today tell you that an earlier and more defining characteristic of hominids was bipedalism. However, Lumsden and Wilson are welcome to their opinion. I, however, don't accept it.
David S. Smerken, Ph.D.
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