Uncommon Descent Serving The Intelligent Design Community

Humans originated as a pig-chimp hybrid? Story making the rounds once more.

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From The Daily Mail:

[Geneticist Eugene McCarthy] points out that while humans have many features in common with chimps, we also have a large number of distinguishing characteristics not found in any other primates.

Dr McCarthy says these divergent characteristics are most likely the result of a hybrid origin at some point far back in human evolutionary history.

What’s more, he suggests, there is one animal that has all of the traits which distinguish humans from our primate cousins in the animal kingdom.

‘What is this other animal that has all these traits?’ he asks rhetorically. ‘The answer is Sus scrofa, the ordinary pig.’

The Daily Mail writer finds the evidence “compelling.” And Dr. McCarthy professes to esteem pigs.

Guess the dream never dies.

This is one of those odd stories where, far from running the risk of being hoaxed, a newser is sure it is a hoax, it absolutely has to be a hoax. And yet it isn’t, or not intentionally, anyway.

This idea blew through cyberspace about five months ago, actually, and at Uncommon Descent we ran a contest to name our human ancestor that was the pig-chimp hybrid.

The winning entry is here. (Yes, we are making you go back there. It’s hilarious but the reasoning is part of the fun.)

Back then, Phys.org, a science news release aggregator, grunted approval of the idea.

See also: Vince Torley’s informative take: Up from the apes – and pigs?

Comments
Handsome pig looking for sexy chimp. Flea-infested or Jewish or Islamic chimps need not apply.Mung
November 30, 2013
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Seeking to be wise, they became fools...sagebrush gardener
November 30, 2013
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