Once upon a time it was the 'missing link'. Then it was the earliest member of our genus Homo. Now the target of palaeoanthropology is the 'first human', our most ancient fossil ancestor not shared with the great apes. Such shifts in fashion demonstrate that, like any other branch of science, palaeoanthropology changes with the times. Some things, however, have remained comfortingly constant. One of these is the regular public laundering of palaeoanthropology's dirty linen, which has long been a mainstay of the popular science literature, combining as it does the delights of gossip and voyeurism with a fascinating subject matter.
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