Contd.
Dr. Chas. Oxnard (USC) writes "Although most studies emphasize the similarity of the australopithecines to modern man, and suggest, therefore that these creatures were bipedal tool-makers at least one form of which (
A. africanus--"Homo habilis," "Homo africanus") was almost directly ancestral to man, a series of multivariate statistical studies of various postcranial fragments suggests other conclusions." He further concludes, "Finally, the quite independent information from the fossil finds of more recent years seems to indicate absolutely that these australopithecines of half to 2 million years and from sites such as Olduvai and Sterkfontein are not on a human pathway." In Oxnard's opinion, australopithecines were neither like humans or apes but more like
Pongo, the orangutan...even more "distant" from man, than a gorilla... "to the extent that resemblances exist with living forms they tend to be with the orangutan" (
U. of Chicago Magazine, Winter, 1974, pp. 11-12).
None of these references could, by any stretch of the imagination, be accused of being Creationist. So... point is, your argument/disagreement isn't with me, it's with the consistent disagreement within the scientific community as to the origin of man.
I could provide you with references for all the subsequent questions you ask re:
H. habilis, but there would, then, cascade yet another avalance of questions, the hope being that my inability to answer, adequate to your criteria, even one would somehow
prove my position untenable. Rather,
you do the homework and answer your own questions. See if, after the research, you come awayas seemingly confident as you are now.
By the way, here's agood place to start:
http://www.msu.edu/~robin400/habilis.html , with nary a word from a Creationists lips... promise!