Filling in evolutionary gaps?

Question

The record of primate evolution remains frustratingly incomplete and subject to debate. For certain periods of time over large areas there are no fossils known at all. At other times, in other places, there is an abundance of fossils. What are three significant gaps and/or debates involving the fossil evidence, and what kind of new fossil discovery would fill a significant gap or resolve a major debate in each case. Describe these hypothetical discoveries for each of the three cases.

I am not a creationist out to try to disprove evolution, I just wondered what possibile discoveries could fill the gaps in the record that fall in line with evolution. If my wording seems bad I will contribute it to english not being one of my first languages.

Answer 1

Hmm ... the wording of this question makes me question the agenda behind it.

Some areas of primate evolution are incomplete, and other areas are very complete.

Specifically, the fossil record of the human branch is far more detailed than the fossil record of the chimp branch ... primarily because chimps live in arboreal regions not very conducive to fossilization.

That said ... these two links provides an excellent list of the fossil evidence in primate evolution ... INCLUDING THE GAPS.
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-transitional/part2a.html#primate
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/homs/specimen.html

{edit}

Sorry, I did not mean to accuse you of creationism. The English is just fine. In fact, it is so good that it sounded like a teacher's assignment.

It is a valid question. I was only concerned that it emphasized the gaps without acknowledging the huge amounts of fossil forms that *are* there.

Answer 2

When you consider that the great majority of dead organisms don't leave any fossil record at all, we have an amazingly complete record.

One of the things we have now that fills in where the fossil record leaves off is DNA. It can now be readily compared in presumed related species and gives a better correlation than the fossil record can. And, it generally confirms what we do have in the fossil record.

It has even been possible recently to recover a tiny portion of a dinosaur's DNA. That filled in another gap as even that little piece had enough to show the dinosaur was related to chickens and to reptiles.

DNA testing is probably a lot more meaningful than fossils for any future discoveries.