Those of us whose literary taste extends to Dr. Seuss’s children’s books may remember the above title. In this imaginative tale a baby bird goes from one animal to another asking this question. Finally, of course, the little birdie identifies its mother.
But it’s not only in the children’s make-believe bird-world of Dr. Seuss that the question, “Are you my mother?” is being circulated. Some very serious-minded paleoanthropologists are asking much the same thing as they search for clues that might help them determine the “mother” of the human species.
Is there possibly a pre-human fossilized skull somewhere which will reveal crucial information about our homo sapien parentage? Can we find some ancient trace of human ancestry to suggest our origins? Can we ever know with any certainty where we came from? Good questions.
If we go digging into the roots of mankind’s family tree,
what can we expect to unearth? Paleontologists have generally considered that
we have some common apelike ancestor that lived 4 to 6 million years ago. But
in 1974 in a remote area of
More recently, though, about fifty fossilized skull pieces
were found in
Probably most of us have a deep appreciation for those who broaden human knowledge. And it will be interesting if someday we learn more about Lucy and Flat-faced man. But aren’t we barking up the wrong tree if we expect to find them in the branches of the human family?
The discoverer of Flat-faced man is quoted as saying, “There could be something else we haven’t yet found.” Hmm. Now there’s a thought.
Who is our mother?
Well, her husband named her Eve, “because she would become the mother of all the living.” The husband’s name is Adam. God made them both, and we read about them in the Bible.