What do we mean when we say there is no "missing link" in the traditional sense of the phrase?"

Question

What do we mean when we say there is no "missing link" in the traditional sense of the phrase?"

Answer 1

1. man and ape evolved seperately, no common link.

2. all links between man and ape have been found and nothing is missing to be discovered.

Answer 2

When someone says that, it means they don't understand what they're talking about.

"The Missing Link" was a concept that, if we descended from non-humans, and we're human, there must be some critter between those two states.

There isn't "ONE" missing link -- there are untold numbers of critters and proto-humans between clearly not human, and us.

We've found a lot of fossils that fit that criterion. Every time another is found, the doubters say "Yes, but now you need to find something between that and the older and the newer." So they'd defined it to be impossible.

I actually saw a post on this sight that said "I won't believe in evolution until every fossil of every living thing is found."

Uh, OK, you refuse to believe it, then, because that's just impossible.

Certain kinds of things have to happen after death for there to be a fossil. Then that fossil needs to be found (not subsumed into lava below the Earth's surface, and made accessible to someone now, in one of the places we're looking.)

Most living things don't leave fossils; it's impossible to look everywhere for fossils -- too much land to cover.

As I say, since the coinage of tha phrase, we've found a LOT of "missing links" (except as soon as we find one, it's not 'missing' any more, is it?).

The concept is now bogus.

Answer 3

Because the precise period where the evidence we are seeking, may not have had the ideal conditions for fossilization; therefore, these huge gaps in time represent approximations, in the flow of changing pre-human forms...

Remember, that all of the homonid fossils ever found, can fit in the back of an ordinary-sized pickup truck...

Answer 4

it means the puzzle is complete, there are no more mysteries left, all the pieces fit and make sense

Answer 5

For those of you that remember the Three Stooges, Curly was the missing link.

Answer 6

There is no missing link between apes and men.  First it could be argued that men are simply bipedal apes with very large brains.  Second there is no missing link between humans and modern apes because we are separate species that both evolved from a common ancestor.  There are in fact transitional species that have been found and therefore they are no longer missing.  It is true that it is impossible to be sure with the current level of evidence that any particular fossil is our ancestor.  There have been numerous claims that were previously made that turned out to be wrong or even fraudulent.

Answer 7

tehabwa ^^ hit this dead on.

there sall kinds of evidence support evolution from this knuckle scraping apelike form to present day.

such finds like luc, etc so the human for though it misses a vertabrae in the neck, or it has one to many, to large, to small skulls, etc.

Basic mutations that finally lead to present day humans.

Answer 8

You already have some very good answers. The well known, “missing link” was some creationists babble begun by someone I can’t remember. It was a failed attempt to refute evolution. It was made up and it did not work among educated people.

One can correctly say that some find is probably a link between two versions of a species but they are referring to a find that may be linked to the two species in question. Human remains do not survive all that well without some lucky circumstances to preserve them.

Evolution is alive and well and is sound theory. Creationism or the now popular “Creation “Science”’ re-name is not theory; it is a dream, a hope, a misconception, a belief but it is not valid and does not qualify as science of any kind.

"Theory" has requirements and qualifications, must make predictions about future events based upon the assumption or postulation. Evolution, relativity, quantum mechanics, each one does qualify. Creation science does not.

Answer 9

Saying man an ape have a common ancester is as stupid as saying we came from apes. Just because man an ape both have five toes an fingers and are built similar means nothing cats an dogs both walk on all fours are they linked uh no