Raymond Dart, holding the Taung Child skull

Raymond Dart (February 4, 1893–22 November 1988) was an Australian anatomist and anthropologist best known for his discovery in 1924 of a fossil of Australopithecus at Taung in Northwestern South Africa. Raymond Dart, Australian/South African anthropologist and anatomist File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Raymond Dart, Australian/South African anthropologist and anatomist File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... February 4 is the 35th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1893 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... November 22 is the 326th day (327th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1988 is a leap year starting on a Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Greek anatome, from ana-temnein, to cut up), is the branch of biology that deals with the structure and organization of living things; thus there is animal anatomy (zootomy) and plant anatomy (phytonomy). ... Anthropology (from the Greek word άνθρωπος, human) consists of the study of humankind (see genus Homo). ... 1924 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Species A. afarensis (Lucy) Formerly Australopithecus, now Paranthropus Australopithecines (genus Australopithecus) are a group of extinct Hominids that are closely related to humans. ... Taung is a small town situated in North West Province of South Africa. ...

He was born in Brisbane, Australia and studied at the University of Queensland, University of Sydney and University College, London, before taking a position as head of the newly established department of anatomy at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1922. Brisbane by night Brisbane by day Brisbane is the capital city of the state of Queensland, Australia. ... The University of Queensland The University of Queensland (UQ) has its main campus in Brisbane, Queensland, specifically in the suburb of St Lucia. ... The University of Sydney The University of Sydney, established in 1850, is the oldest university in Australia, and it is located in Sydney, the capital city of the state of New South Wales. ... The Front Quad University College London, commonly known as UCL, is one of the colleges that make up the University of London. ... Anatomical drawing of the human muscles from the Encyclopédie. ... The University of the Witwatersrand is a leading South African university situated in Johannesburg. ... City motto: Unity in Development Province Gauteng Mayor Amos Masondo Area  - % water 1,644 km² 0. ... 1922 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

In 1924, one of his students brought Dart an endocranial cast found at a limestone quarry at Taung. Dart examined the Taung Child fossil, as it came to be known, and pronounced it to be a new species, Australopithecus africanus. Dart postulated his new find to be a missing link between apes and humans because of its small brain size, but relatively human-like dentition and a probable upright posture. 1924 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Limey shale overlaid by limestone. ... A small cinder quarry A dimension stone quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. ... Taung is a small town situated in North West Province of South Africa. ... Taung Child refers to the fossil of a skull and brain specimen of Australopithecus africanus. ... Australopithecus africanus was an early hominid, an australopithecine, who lived between 2 and 3 million years ago in the Pliocene. ... APE may refer to: AVS Plugin Effects for the Advanced Visualization Studio computer software. ... In the anatomy of animals, the brain, or encephalon, is the supervisory center of the nervous system. ... Dentition is the development of teeth and their arrangement in the mouth. ... While not moving, a human can be in one of the following main positions. ...

Dart's discovery and Dart himself were initially heavily criticized by the eminent anthropologists of the day, most notably Sir Arthur Keith who claimed the Taung Child to be nothing other than a juvenile gorilla. Because the specimen was indeed a juvenile, there was a lot of room for interpretation, and because African origins for mankind and the development of bipedalism before a human-like brain were both inconsistent with the prevailing evolutionary notions of the time, Dart and his Child became the butt of many attacks. Sir Arthur Keith (February 5, 1866—January 7, 1955) was a Scottish anatomist and anthropologist, and was a leading figure in the study of Human fossils. ... Type species Troglodytes gorilla Savage, 1847 Species Gorilla gorilla Gorilla beringei Distinguish from guerilla. ... A biped is an animal that travels across surfaces supported by two legs. ... Charles Darwin, father of the theory of evolution by natural selection. ...

Dart's closest ally was Robert Broom whose discoveries of further australopithecines, as well as Wilford Le Gros Clark's support eventually vindicated Dart. Robert Broom Prof. ... Species A. afarensis (Lucy) A. africanus A. anamensis A. garhi Formerly Australopithecus, now Paranthropus Australopithecines (genus Australopithecus) are a group of extinct hominids that are closely related to humans. ...

Not all of Dart's ideas are accepted today, however. His assertion that gazelle long-bones found in association with Australopithecus africanus were used as tools is unproven and largely dismissed. Dart also originated the killer ape theory; although some other anthropologists, notably Robert Ardrey, defended or further developed the theory, it is not generally accepted today. A GAZelle (Russian: ) is a series of mid-sized trucks, vans and buses made by Russian car manufacturer GAZ. The base model number is GAZ-3302, but several variants exist. ... This page discusses common devices known as tools, for other meanings see Tool (disambiguation) Modern hammer A tool is, among other things, a device that provides a mechanical or mental advantage in accomplishing a task. ... The killer ape theory or killer ape hypothesis is the theory that war and interpersonal aggression was the driving force behind human evolution. ... Robert Ardrey (b. ...

Dart continued in his position as director of the School of Anatomy at University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, until 1958. In 1959, an autobiographical account of his discovery was published called Adventures with the Missing Link.. The Institute for the Study of Man in Africa was founded at Witwatersrand in his honor. The University of the Witwatersrand is a leading South African university situated in Johannesburg. ... City motto: Unity in Development Province Gauteng Mayor Amos Masondo Area  - % water 1,644 km² 0. ... 1958 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1959 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Raymond Dart
• Raymond Dart

Related topics

• Human evolution
• Hominid
• Australopithecine
• Cradle of Humankind

Human evolution is the process of change and development, or evolution, by which human beings emerged as distinct species. ... Genera Subfamily Ponginae Pongo - Orangutans Gigantopithecus (extinct) Sivapithecus (extinct) Lufengpithecus (extinct) Ankarapithecus (extinct) Subfamily Homininae Gorilla - Gorillas Pan - Chimpanzees Homo - Humans Dryopithecus (extinct) Ouranopithecus (extinct) Paranthropus (extinct) Australopithecus (extinct) Sahelanthropus (extinct) Orrorin (extinct) Ardipithecus (extinct) Kenyanthropus (extinct) Pierolapithecus (extinct) (tentative) The hominids are the members of the biological family Hominidae... Species A. afarensis (Lucy) A. africanus A. anamensis A. garhi Formerly Australopithecus, now Paranthropus Australopithecines (genus Australopithecus) are a group of extinct hominids that are closely related to humans. ... The Cradle of Humankind is a World Heritage Site first named by Unesco in 2000, a half-hour-long drive northwest from Johannesburg, South Africa 20 miles (30 km) distant. ...

Bibliography

• Dart R.A. (1925): Australopithecus africanus: the man-ape of South Africa. Nature, 115:195-9 (the original paper communicating the Taung finding, in PDF format).
• Dart, Raymond and Craig, Dennis. Adventures with the Missing Link. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1959 (autobiography).
• Fagan, Brian. The Passion of Raymond Dart. Archaeology v. 42 (May-June 1989): p. 18.