[Taxacom] Media hype over Darwinius (new Adapoid primate fossil)

[Kenneth Kinman]

Dear All,
     I'm not going to address the advisability of all the media hype
that was orchestrated along with today's publication of the description
of Darwinius, other than that the phrase "missing link" can too often
involve more PR than good science.  
      I assume that the assignment of Darwinius to the Adapoidea is
correct, but whether adapoids should now be regarded as members of
Strepsirhini or Haplorhini is less certain.  The authors of today's
paper in PLOS regard Darwinius as a member of Suborder Haplorhini, while
adapoids are more generally regarded as basal members of Suborder
Strepsirhini.  
       There will now be a contentious debate over which placement is
correct.  However, we should not overlook a third possibility, namely
that adapoids could be a paraphyletic grouping that gave rise to both
Strepsirhini and Haplorhini.  In other words, when you hear the debate
in the coming weeks and months, just remember that there are three
possibilities, not just two.
          --------Ken Kinman