ALLEGED evangelical Pastor, Daniel Singh gladly endorses the view of Dr. Ian Tattersall, a Darwinian anthropologist at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
In his June 26th letter (Ida is a washed up celebrity fossil) Mr. Singh very selectively quotes Dr. Tattersall without saying that the quotes were pulled from a book review, and not a scientific article on the Times Online website. By the way, readers should know that The Times online, which Singh cites repeatedly, is a conservative, right-wing publication owned by Rupert Murdoch who also runs the anti-Obama Fox News television network. Long ago, The Times was regarded as a serious publication with high standards of journalism. However, some, including employees of The Times, feel it has gone downmarket since being acquired by Murdoch. I suspect this is why Daniel Singh finds the publication so quotable.

Mr. Singh readily agrees with Dr. Tattersall that the “Ida” fossil is a transitional form only in a limited sense. No one has ever doubted this; no one has ever claimed that the fossil is “The Missing Link” between man and an ape-like ancestor. Everyone, except perhaps Daniel Singh, knows that Ida is possibly a link between Prosimians and Simians.

So Singh now views Ida as transitional fossil but he still writes to the Guyana Chronicle apparently to argue with himself over this fact. In one single letter Singh says both that Ida is a transitional fossil and “a ‘washed up’ celebrity fossil.” Seems this chap can’t make up his mind.

In the same book review that Daniel Singh quotes from, Dr. Tattersall linked humans with apes. I wonder if Singh will write to the Chronicle to endorse that.

“Today,” wrote Dr. Tattersall, “there are two major kinds of primates in the world: the very successful ‘higher’ ones, consisting of monkeys and apes along with our selves; and the now largely marginalised ‘lower’ primates. . . ”

So how about it, Mr. Singh, do you share lineage with an ape? I already know about your claims regarding your grandfather and tree monkeys, so no need to go into that.