The fossil named Ida has been called "the final vindication of Darwin's evolutionist theory," but many scientists say it's more media hype than science.
-- From "Seeking a Missing Link, and a Mass Audience" by Tim Arango, New York Times 5/19/09
. . . researchers [have unveiled] a 47-million-year-old fossil they say could revolutionize the understanding of human evolution . . .
The specimen, designated Darwinius masillae, is of a monkeylike creature that is remarkably intact: even the contents of its stomach are preserved. The fossil was bought two years ago in Germany by the University of Oslo, and a team of scientists began work on their research.
But despite a television teaser campaign with the slogan “This changes everything” and comparisons to the moon landing and the Kennedy assassination, the significance of this discovery may not be known for years.
All of this seems a departure from the normal turn of events, where researchers study their subject and publish their findings, and let the media chips fall where they may. But this campaign is only the latest example of the scientific media blockbuster . . .
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From "Media blitz: 'We found missing link'" by Drew Zahn © 2009 WorldNetDaily 5/19/09
A book, a movie, a press release, news reports, television specials and an interactive website – all launched today – have converged in a multi-media exclamation, set to shout to the world that the "missing link" in man's evolution has supposedly been found.
The Times of London reports that some scientists have joined in criticism of the media coverage, arguing it is wrong for a discovery to receive such heavy publicity before other researchers can evaluate it.
Dr. Jonathan Wells, author and biologist at the Seattle-based Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture, helped WND take a closer look at the science vs. hype debate.
"When you listen to Darwinists, they claim their theory is as well established as gravity," Wells told WND. "If that were really the case, we wouldn't be getting these startling announcements that we finally found the proof that we need. There wouldn't be any controversy. This would be like someone running up and saying, 'Stop the presses. I just saw another apple fall from the tree; Newton was right!' In the evolutionists' own framework, it's nonsense. It demonstrates their theory is not as well established as they claim."
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