Claim CC052:

The Laetoli footprints, dated 3.7 million years old, appear to be those of modern humans.

Source:

Gish, Duane T., 1985. Evolution: The challenge of the fossil record. El Cajon, CA: Creation-Life Publishers, pp. 174-176.

Response:

  1. How similar the Laetoli footprints look to australopithecine feet is a matter of debate. Tuttle (1990) thought that they were too humanlike for Australopithecus afarensis and may have belonged to another species of australopithecine or to an early Homo species. Other anthropologists think they are significantly different from Homo and could be A. afarensis (reviewed by Foley 2004). Creationists tend to cite only Tuttle because he best supports their view.

Links:

Foley, Jim, 2004. Creationist arguments: Anomalous fossils. http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/homs/a_anomaly.html

References:

  1. Foley, Jim, 2004. (see above)
  2. Tuttle, R. H., 1990. The pitted pattern of Laetoli feet. Natural History (March): 61-64.
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created 2001-2-18