Afarensis is a 3.5-2.8 million year old hominin from the Kada Hadar member of the Hadar formation in the Middle Awash, Ethiopia. He is approximately 41 inches tall, weighs approximately 60 pounds and has a cranial capacity of a whopping 410 cc (approximately). Afarensis is currently considered to be transitional between apes and humans and displays some traits of both. Since he spends a lot of time on the couch watching monster movies, some observers question whether he is an obligate biped (although no one has observed him climbing a tree). He also has a blog called 
Weeden Island has produced an interesting find - that of a canoe. From the Jackson County Floridian:
A 45-foot canoe, buried for 10 centuries, more or less, and used by a long-dead culture of American Indians, has worked its way to the surface. Now authorities are trying to figure out how best to preserve it.The vessel is carved out of a single pine tree, and archaeologists say it was used to paddle the open, sometimes roughwaters of Tampa Bay -- unlike the other ancient canoes uncovered in Florida over the years, which were used to ply the calmer waters of lakes and rivers.
With the back end of the canoe broken off, it measures 39 feet, 11 inches. Attaching the missing piece, archaeologists say, would add an estimated 5 feet to the length.
The size of the vessel and configuration of the bow leads archaeologists to think it may have been used to trade with people living some distance away.
"It's the longest prehistoric canoe ever found in the state of Florida," said Weedon Island Preserve Center manager Phyllis Kolianos.
Humanities & Social Science
Comments
I love this stuff...
Posted by: J-Dog | May 13, 2008 9:57 AM