Oreopithecus: man's earliest ancestor?
In 1958 in a lignite mine in northern Italy a complete fossil skeleton was discovered of a primate, dating from 12 million years ago, which previously had been known only from teeth and bone fragments. The problem now remains to fit this animal into its correct evolutionary position. If this skeleton is accepted within man's direct ancestry evolutionary theories current today will have to be considerably modified.
JACK TREVOR of the Duckworth
Laboratory, Cambridge, presents the present state of expert opinion on this important discovery.
Produced by John Irving