The latest fossil unearthed in Africa allows scientists to link together the most complete chain of human evolution so far.
The 4.2 million-year-old fossil discovered in northeastern Ethiopia helps scientists fill in the gaps of how our human ancestors made the giant leap from one phase of development to another. That's because the newest fossil was found in the region where seven other types of human-like fossils spanning nearly 6 million years and three major phases of human development were previously discovered.
``We just found the chain of evolution, the continuity through time,'' Berhane Asfaw, one of the co-authors of the study said. ``One form evolved to another. This is evidence of evolution in one place through time.''
PHOTO: AFP
Although the kind of fossil the scientists discovered is not new, its location is what helps explain the shift from one early phase of human-like development to the next, they say. All eight fossils were within an easy day's walk of each other.
Until now, scientists had individual pictures of human evolution scattered around the world. Finding everything all in one general area makes those pictures more like a short movie about evolution.
``It's like ... a home movie, but a home movie covering 6 million years,'' said study lead author Tim White, co-director of Human Evolution Research Center at the University of California at Berkeley.
Scientists believe this latest discovery will help them connect the dots of human evolution. The new fossil is from a group that is believed to have evolved into modern man at some point. Additionally, the new fossil shows a connection between an even older fossil and modern human beings. (AP)
非洲最新出土的化石讓科學家得以將人類迄今最完整的進化鍊連接起來。
這個在伊索比亞東北部被人發現的四百二十萬年前的化石，有助於科學家填補人類祖先是如何從一個階段大幅進化到下一階段的空白。這是因為這個最新化石被發現的地區，是其他七種近似人類的化石稍早被發現的所在。這七種化石的時間涵括六百萬年，跨越人類三個主要進化階段。
「我們剛剛發現了演化鏈，穿越時光的進程，」這項研究的共同作者之一伯哈尼．亞斯法說：「一種形式進化到另一種。這是一個地區跨越時間的演化證據。」
科學家表示，雖然他們所發現的化石種類並非新化石，其地理位置卻有助於解釋近似人類的動物從早期階段進化到下一階段的發展。這八種化石的發現地都在方圓一天步行的距離內。
迄今，科學家已取得散落在全世界的人類進化的個別圖像。找到了某一概括地區的所有物件，讓這些圖像看起來更像是一部進化的短片。
這項研究的主導作者提姆．懷特說：「這就像是??一部家族史電影，不過卻是橫跨六百萬年的家族史電影。」他也是加州大學柏克萊分校人類進化研究中心的副主任。
科學家相信，最新的發現將有助於他們把人類進化的進程串連起來。這個新化石是從一個群組中發現，在某方面來說，據信這個群組已進化成現代人類。此外，新化石也顯示出更古老的化石與現代人類之間的關連。 （美聯社／翻譯：賴美君）
>> Bilingual Story is a fictionalized account 雙語故事部分內容純屬虛構
A: China’s animated blockbuster “Ne Zha 2” also smashed a box office record recently. B: It’s No. 7 among the world’s best-selling films, grossing more than US$2 billion globally. A: I t has even become the world’s highest-grossing animated film, while the political metaphors in it are causing controversy. B: But who is Ne Zha anyway? A: Ne Zha, often spelled as “Nezha,” is actually a mythical teenage deity with superpowers. A: 中國動畫片《哪吒2》最近也打破紀錄。 B: 該片已衝上影史票房排行榜第7名，全球狂賣超過20億美元。 A: 聽說它甚至是全球最賣座的動畫片，影片中的政治隱喻卻引爆爭議！ B: 但哪吒是誰？ A: 哪吒的名字常被拼成「Nezha」，是神話中具有超能力的青少年神明。
You enter an old-fashioned detective’s office. The door locks with a click as a radio buzzes: “Rookie detectives, a priceless diamond is missing! Solve the case in one hour.” The room is filled with clues — photographs, coded messages and secret compartments. As the grandfather clock ticks, you and your friends must work to unlock the secrets. This is what escape rooms are all about — immersive adventure games where you solve puzzles and escape the themed setting within a time limit. The concept of “escape rooms” dates back to early first-person video games. In 1988, John Wilson introduced
A: Were there any highlights at the Oscars this year? B: With 13 nods, French director Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Perez” broke the record for most Oscar nominations earned by a non-English film. A: Wow, it broke the record of 10 Oscar nominations set by Taiwanese director Ang Lee’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” B: On the eve of the Oscars, Lee was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Awards. A: It seems that Hollywood has finally become more diverse. A: 今年的奧斯卡獎有什麼亮點嗎？ B: 法國導演賈克歐迪亞的《璀璨女人夢》榮獲13項提名，打破了非英語片紀錄！ A: 哇打破了台灣導演李安的《臥虎藏龍》10項提名紀錄。 B: 李安則在奧斯卡前夕，獲頒美國導演工會「終身成就獎」。 A: 看來好萊塢終於比較多元化啦。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪)
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