[Vision2020] Re: Evolution: What About Oliver? Half-Human Half Chimp

[Andreas Schou]

On 11/10/05, Donovan Arnold <donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> How does Oliver fit into this debate?
>
> This half-chimp half human that use to live in an area
> populated by humans was discovered and had many human
> traits, it was later discovered that:
>
> "blood tests revealed Oliver had 47 chromosomes — one
> more than a human and one less than a chimp.
>
> hthttp/wwwwwotten.com/library/crcryptozoologyuhumanzee
>
> and a more serious article:
>
> hthttp/wwwwwibigfootencountersom/creatures/ololiverathtm
> More on our missing link friend and the like:
>
> hthttp/wwwwwaparascopeom/en/crcryptozooimissingLinksthtm
>
> Not that I am defending creationism scientifically, I
> think it is an opinion, and an unfounded one at that,
> but how many of these so called missing links are the
> failed genetic offspring between humans and chimps? It
> is gross to think about, but it must have happened and
> Oliver is evidence that humans and chimps can produce
> offspring.


Whiule I'm willing to entertain that humans and chimpanzees are genetically
similar enough to breed -- other, more genetically dissimilar animals, like
dolphines/beluga whales and lions/tigers can breed -- your argument falls
basically in the same category as speculation as to how many "missing links"
are alien/Bigfoot hybrids.

Oliver was a circus novelty act for the vast majority of his life, and
descriptions of him are very much in the tradition of The rudimentary
genetic testing available when he was alive found ambiguous evidence that he
might've had 47 chromosomes or might've had 48. This tells us very little.
First of all, having an abnormal number of chromosomes is not particularly
uncommon. For instance, humans with only a single X chromosome develop
something called Turner syndrom, which, other than something which the
literature confusingly calls a "webbed neck" and infertility, can survive
just fine.

Also, more advanced tests on Oliver in 1998 found no evidence of 47
chromosomes.
The chronology of what you're proposing is equally ridiculous. What you're
proposing is that some kind of random sorting placed chimpanzee/human
hybrids in strata where there are no modern humans to be found? I'm
stretching to think of any sort of mechanism that would explain that, even
to make fun of it. Plus, Austraelopithicenes -- the only "missing link" that
might be described as being something like a chimp/human hybrid -- were sort
of chimplike from the waist up, but, unlike Oliver, (a) lacked the
reinforced knuckles that descendents of knuckle-walkers have, and (b) had a
pelvic girdle designed for walking upright, not just adaptable to walking
upright.

Please save speculation on human origins to reputable sources like physical
anthropologists and the Weekly World News.

-- ACS
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