THE SPECIES HOMO-HABILIS - EXAMPLE OF A PREMATURE DISCOVERY

The meaning of prematurity in scientific discovery is addressed and examples are given of premature discoveries. The history of the early hominid Homo habilis is outlined, from its discovery in 1959 and its launch in 1964 to the general acceptance of the new species in the 1980s. It is shown that the history of this species distinguishes it as a premature discovery, whose acceptance was delayed until the tenets of the old paradigm had one by one been demolished or modified.