Science: Ape-Men and Prigs

Modern man, the only living species of a once numerous human family, is as definitely pigeonholed in the animal world by taxonomists (biological classifiers) as is Sylvilagus floridanus, the cottontail rabbit. The gun-shooting, crystal-gazing, ballot-casting species—called Homo sapiens by taxonomic courtesy—belongs to the genus homo, the family of Hominidae, the order of primates, the class of mammals, the subphylum of vertebrates, the phylum of Chordata, and to the animal kingdom.

But taxonomy is always arbitrary because species, genera and families tend to merge into one another. So many "missing links" have been found...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!