Ardi, oh Ardi

It's not my thing to write a documentary film review. (let alone sharing it) But last night I watched something I think is worth mentioning/remembering - "Discovering Ardi (2009)".

It was filmed a little too melodramatically for my taste, with its theatrical music and other sensational crap I find gross. But it was fascinating to see the process of people digging up the fossils and attaching them together to create something that may(or may not, it could well be a fabrication)resemble our oldest (4-million-something- year old)ancestor.

It took scientists/researchers/local Ethiopians 17 years to come up with this illustration of our supposed ancestor,



Her name is Ardi, and she was both bipedal and quadrupedal. The documentary suggests that our ancestors became bipedal primates because of their increased need to carry things(food) in their arms, to later share them with their lovers, family and what have you. And thus, compassion and sharing is what made the human species survive.

I'm getting a vibe that Karl Marx would have tremendously enjoyed this documentary film, if he didnt die of bronchitis and pleurisy approximately 100 years ago.