New Scientist Video Says Human Family Tree Has No Beginning, Citing 20-Minute Gap Debate
Updated
Updated · scienceandculture.com · Aug 15
New Scientist Video Says Human Family Tree Has No Beginning, Citing 20-Minute Gap Debate
1 articles · Updated · scienceandculture.com · Aug 15
Summary
A new New Scientist video argues that “the human family tree has no beginning,” challenging the idea of a clear starting point for human origins.
Around the 19- to 20-minute mark, host Ella Al-Shamahi is described as conceding a major anatomical gap between Lucy’s species and Homo erectus, a point the report says undercuts gradual human evolution.
The piece links that claim to a broader push against “absolute biological history,” citing University of Utah researcher Matthew Haber’s call to reject any single privileged biological history.
Taken together, the report frames both arguments as responses to evidence it says weakens universal common descent and supports more abrupt, rather than gradual, human origins.