Darwinius masillae (IDA): In a groundbreaking revelation, scientists in New York have unveiled the skeleton of a potential common ancestor to humans, apes, and other primates. Officially identified as Darwinius masillae but affectionately nicknamed Ida, this tiny creature lived an astonishing 47 million years ago and is remarkably well-preserved, with only a missing part of a leg, constituting a mere five percent of the skeleton.
Darwinius masillae (IDA)
Published in the PloS ONE scientific journal, this remarkable finding took center stage at New York’s Natural History Museum and is set to be featured in a documentary on the History Channel, BBC, and various other broadcasters. The scientific team, led by Norway’s esteemed fossil expert Professor Jorn Hurum, dedicated two years to studying Ida. Her initial discovery in 1983, fragmented by private collectors who failed to grasp its significance, led to painstaking efforts to reunite and analyze the bones.
Preserved in Germany’s Messel Pit, a fossil-rich crater from the Eocene Epoch, Ida, though possessing a long tail, exhibits several human-like characteristics, including an opposable thumb, short arms and legs, and forward-facing eyes. Notably, she lacks two key features found in modern lemurs: a grooming claw and a toothcomb, a row of lower teeth.
Professor Hurum declared, “This is the first link to all humans – truly a fossil that links world heritage.” David Attenborough, the renowned British naturalist and broadcaster, emphasized the significance of Ida, stating that the “little creature is going to show us our connection with all the rest of the mammals,” filling a crucial gap in the understanding of evolutionary links.
Ida offers a glimpse into a pivotal moment when the world was undergoing transformative changes. Dinosaurs had become extinct, the Himalayas were taking shape, and diverse mammals thrived in expansive jungles. The international team suggests that Ida may have met her demise due to a badly broken wrist. The prevailing theory posits that, while drinking from the Messel lake, she succumbed to carbon dioxide fumes, slipped into unconsciousness, and eventually sank to the lake’s bottom. The unique conditions at the lake preserved her for an astounding 47 million years.
Analysis of Ida’s last meal indicates her herbivorous diet, with gut contents revealing traces of fruits, seeds, and leaves. The completeness of this fossil sets it apart, with Professor Hurum noting, “This fossil is so complete. Everything’s there. It’s unheard of in the primate record at all. You have to get to human burial to see something that’s this complete.” In essence, Ida emerges not just as a fossilized relic but as a profound storyteller of our shared evolutionary journey.
