How do you make sense of the Hominid evolution time line?

Question

To me, a casual observer, it appears that distinct groups of evolutionary classifications simply show up and fade away. More specifically the gentle progression of natural selection appears more specific jumps in specie.

I have no agenda and please do me a favor by not attributing one to me.

Answer 1

The gaps in our knowledge are in direct relation to the lack of fossil evidence.  Fossilisation of a creature is actually pretty rare.

Answer 2

The problem is, that Hominids do not willingly jump into a mudslide, or a lava flow on schedule every 50,000 years in places where they can be easily found by future anthropologists...

That being said, what seems to happen, is that skeletal remains are found, and there happens to be a 1/2 million year gap between say, Homo erectus & Homo heidelbergensis...and the specimen seems to be about halfway in-between both, timewise, and in the right location, so they say, let's call it Homo antecessor (an intermediate species)...

Timelines are created by evolutionary biologists who have limited forensic evidence to work from. I read that all of the Hominin fossil evidence that exists, can fit into the back of a modern-day pickup truck!

Answer 3

That is your problem. You are TOO casual of an observer. I think I have sent you to the proper sites before, but, if not, go here and learn that the " gentle progression of natural selection " is not always so gentle, but always evidential natural.

http://www.talkorigins.org

http://www.aboutdarwin.com

Answer 4

well if you find one set of fossils for every 10,000 years, there are bound to be jumps.

Besides, it really depends on what you call a jump.

Does change of 0.6% count as a jump?

Well, that's how much of human DNA is different from chimp's.