Now and again threads about transitional human fossils or ape-men come up. Most of the time Creationists argue that there are no so-called "missing links", usually by looking at their brain size or cranial capacity. The fossils are either human or just apes, nothing in-between.
So my questions are:
What traits do fossils need to have in order for them to be 'human'?
If ape-men did exist, what would you expect them to look like?
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Weirdly, Creationists have a broader definition of human brain size than Evolutionists:
- Homo Habilis: ave. cranial capacity [cc] 750cm
- Homo Erectus: ave. cc 850 - 1,100cm
- Modern man: ave cc. 1,400cm
So there is (roughly) a difference of 100cm between Habilis and an early Erectus, while there is a difference of 300cm between Sapiens and late Erectus. Keeping in mind that some modern humans can have a cranial capacity as high as 1,800cm, this difference jumps to 700cm.
In other words Erectus is more similar to Habilis than they are to Sapiens in terms of cranial capacity. So why is homo erectus considered human while homo habilis is not?
I'd also point out that anything below 900cm is considered abnormal among modern humans. Even those with microcephaly have a cranial capacity of roughly 1,000cm ([FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold][FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold]Anthropometric craniofacial pattern profiles [/FONT][FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold]in microcephaly[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold][FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold]). Therefore early homo erectus (ave. cc 850cm) cannot be considered 'human variation'.[/FONT][/FONT]
So my questions are:
What traits do fossils need to have in order for them to be 'human'?
If ape-men did exist, what would you expect them to look like?
-------------------------
Weirdly, Creationists have a broader definition of human brain size than Evolutionists:
As most of the adult cranial capacity is reached by age 10 or 11, it is likely that the adult ECV of WT 15000 would be no more than about 1000-1050cc, which is still well within the modern human range of about 800- 2000cc.
- Bill Mehlert
Via AnswersInGenesis.
Via AnswersInGenesis.
Living humans have a cranial capacity ranging from about 950 cc to 1800 cc, with the average about 1400 cc.
Many Creationists also consider homo erectus to be human, but not homo habilis. This is odd, considering the differences in brain size.- Homo Habilis: ave. cranial capacity [cc] 750cm
- Homo Erectus: ave. cc 850 - 1,100cm
- Modern man: ave cc. 1,400cm
So there is (roughly) a difference of 100cm between Habilis and an early Erectus, while there is a difference of 300cm between Sapiens and late Erectus. Keeping in mind that some modern humans can have a cranial capacity as high as 1,800cm, this difference jumps to 700cm.
In other words Erectus is more similar to Habilis than they are to Sapiens in terms of cranial capacity. So why is homo erectus considered human while homo habilis is not?
I'd also point out that anything below 900cm is considered abnormal among modern humans. Even those with microcephaly have a cranial capacity of roughly 1,000cm ([FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold][FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold]Anthropometric craniofacial pattern profiles [/FONT][FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold]in microcephaly[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold][FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold]). Therefore early homo erectus (ave. cc 850cm) cannot be considered 'human variation'.[/FONT][/FONT]