Some scientists say Ida is the missing link

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By Jennifer Harper

The missing link is missing no longer, apparently. And her name is Ida.

Scientists announced Tuesday that a diminutive, 47-million-year-old female skeleton is the true bridge between mankind and mammals. The discovery would "rewrite history," they said - an idea that was contested by creationists and pounced upon by the press.

Ida is already the star of her own book and full-length movie, and her pedigree is on parade.

"This fossil is so complete. Everything is there. It's unheard of in the primate record at all. You have to get to human burial to see something that's this complete," said Jorn Hurum, a paleontologist with the University of Oslo who led the research.

"This fossil will probably be pictured in all the textbooks for the next 100 years. This is the first link to all humans - truly a fossil that links world heritage," he said.

His peers were equally enthusiastic over the bones, discovered in a German quarry and so detailed that the creature's last meal was still evident, along with impressions of skin and hair.

"It's really a kind of Rosetta Stone," said Philip Gingerich, a paleontologist with the University of Michigan.

Ida, whose formal name is Darwinius Masillae, is also a major media event.

There's a new book, "The Link," being published Wednesday. A two-hour, high-definition movie of the same name will premiere on the BBC, the History Channel and other networks Monday. "Revealing the Link," a new interactive Web site, explains all things Ida; a replica skeleton is destined for New York's Museum of Natural History as well.

But not everyone shares in the Ida adulation.