Skip to main content

The Link - Uncovering Our Earliest Ancestor

The Link - Uncovering Our Earliest Ancestor - BBC

Uncovering Our Earliest Ancestor: The Link, tells the story of an important scientific development that could tell us more about where we come from.

The fossil, known as Ida, could be an indication of one of the roots of anthropoid evolution -- the point at which our primate ancestors began first developing the features that would evolve into our own.

Is David Attenborough set to reveal the Missing Link in human evolution?

The BBC has made an extraordinary new documentary, presented by Sir David Attenborough, which will reveal the discovery of a fossilised skeleton that may be a vital 'missing link' in human evolution.


The centrepiece of the programme is the unveiling of the first-ever complete skeleton of an extinct animal called an adapid.

The fossilised bones, which are thought to be between 37 and 47million years old, were found in Germany's Messel Shale Pit, a disused quarry near Frankfurt famous for its fossils.

The team who examined the young female animal say it has some resemblance to a lemur, a mammal with a distinctive tail that is found to this day in the forests of Madagascar.

But Sir David's documentary will explain that the researchers have, controversially, concluded the fossil 'is not simply a lemur' but from a related group of primates which evolved into monkeys, apes and human beings.

Popular posts from this blog

Science of Steroids

Over the better part of this century, athletes have sought to increase the natural performance of their bodies by using various means. And while most opted for the development of their muscle mass by using standard techniques, such as lifting weights, running, or other methods, some started taking to artificial substances, which rapidly promoted the growth of muscles and the expression of male traits teenage boys experienced at puberty.

Manufacturing Consent

The classic Canadian documentary Manufacturing Consent based on the Noam Chomsky/Edward Herman book by the same name. Explores the the propaganda model of the media.

The Ringworm Children

Directed by David Belhassen and Asher Hemias. The documentary won the award for "Best Documentary" at the Haifa International Film Festival and was featured as a documentary at the Israel Film Festival in Los Angeles in 2007.