See ya Lucy, I Love Ardi!

If a reporter is capable of turning a story that is unbelievably complex into something that is comprehensive, it truly speaks to their skill as a writer and a reporter. In the Article Fossil Skeleton From Africa Predates Lucy by John Noble Wilford, Wilford announces the discovery of the oldest and most complete set of skeletal remains in hominid evolution. The female skeleton was affectionately named Ardi- "short for Ardipithecus ramidus" - by her discoverers. Apparently, those involved in the discovery, like Tim D. White of the University of California Berkeley, discovered Ardi years ago and have been keeping her under wraps (no pun intended) ever since in order to analyze her thoroughly. Ardi has so far been surprising many scientists and now based on her bones, our view on the evolution of hominids will never be the same.

I loved this article! It was catchy and interesting. From the beginning, Wilford draws us in with his first three words, "Lucy, meet Ardi." It was a nice touch on a story that many people would probably not give a second thought to, but because he wrote the article with so much conviction, that energy was transferred to his readers. Ardi's discovery was groundbreaking and he did an excellent job of getting this message across to the non-scientific community. However, my only critique would have to be the ending. I don't believe an article should end with 'he said,'Especially if you're concluding with a strong quote (which is what happened). It is weak and easily avoidable. Wilford could just as easily have written "he said...'quote.'"