Fossil heroes.

Neither heroes nor villains, just part of the picture. This is the view of man's ancestors with which Dr. Robert Foley (biological anthropologist, University of Cambridge) seeks to replace the traditional, over-simplified picture which places man, heroically, at the pinnacle of evolution. The traditional story seeks to reinforce man's superiority by linking advancing technology with larger brains but Dr. Foley argues that they evolved together in the process of problem solving. Fossil evidence, like statistics, can be made to fit requirements, and has hitherto ignored the fact that homo erectus, far from supplanting his Australopithecine predecessor, co-existed with him for half a million years. No other species dominates the planet as man has done - and continues to do - but man alone threatens it with ecological disasters which will involve his own downfall.