Gigantopithecus stood nearly 10 feet tall (3 meters) and weighed as much as twice that of a gorilla.
The largest ape to ever live, Gigantopithecus blacki, went extinct between 295,000 and 215,0 years ago after climate change made it more seasonal and difficult for the plant-eating primate to adapt to changing vegetation. The species lived in southern China and ate a diet of fruits and flowers primarily found in tropical forests.
The largest ape to ever live, Gigantopithecus blacki, went extinct between 295,000 and 215,0 years ago after climate change made it more seasonal and difficult for the plant-eating primate to adapt to changing vegetation. The species lived in southern China and ate a diet of fruits and flowers primarily found in tropical forests. Gigantopithecus stood nearly 10 feet tall (3 meters) and weighed as much as twice that of a gorilla.
It's possible that other factors may have contributed to the extinction of Gigantopithecus blacki, such as predation or competition with other species. However, climate change is widely accepted as a major factor in their demise.
Gigantopithecus blacki is the largest ape on record and stood almost 10 feet tall (3 meters) and weighed nearly twice as much as a gorilla.
The elusive circumstances surrounding the demise of Gigantopithecus are one of the biggest mysteries in paleontology.
Gigantopithecus went extinct between 295,000 and 215,00 years ago after climate change made it more seasonal and difficult for the plant-eating primate to adapt to changing vegetation.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
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Deception
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None Found At Time Of
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Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. The first is an appeal to authority when it states that the study was published in the journal Nature without providing any evidence of its credibility or peer review process. Additionally, there are no examples provided in the text to support this claim.
Bias
(85%)
The article is biased towards the idea that climate change was a major factor in the extinction of Gigantopithecus blacki. The author uses language such as 'likely driven to extinction' and 'when food starts to be scarce it can't climb trees'. This implies that climate change directly caused their demise, without considering other factors that may have contributed.
The species Gigantopithecus blacki was likely driven to extinction hundreds of thousands of years ago when climate change put their favorite fruits out of reach during dry seasons
When food starts to be scarce, it's so big it can't climb trees to explore new food sources.
Gigantopithecus blacki is the largest ape on record and stood almost 10 feet tall (3 meters) and weighed nearly twice as much as a gorilla.
The elusive circumstances surrounding the demise of Gigantopithecus are one of the biggest mysteries in paleontology.
Gigantopithecus went extinct between 295,000 and 215,00 years ago after climate change made it more seasonal and difficult for the plant-eating primate to adapt to changing vegetation.
Before Gigantopithecus populations dwindled due to climate change, they flourished starting from about 2 million years ago in a rich and diverse forest environment primarily eating fruit.
Around (700,0 or) 600,0 years ago we start to see large environmental changes and during that period we see a decline in the availability of fruit.
Giganto ate less nutritious fall-back foods such as bark and twigs from the forest floor.
Accuracy
Gigantopithecus went extinct between 295,000 and 215,0 years ago
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that Gigantopithecus blacki was the largest ape on record and stood almost 10 feet tall (3 meters) when it went extinct. However, this information is not supported by any scientific evidence presented in the article. Secondly, the author states that Gigantopithecus populations dwindled due to climate change before going extinct between 295,000 and 215,00 years ago. This statement contradicts previous research which suggests that Gigantopithecus went extinct around 784,368 years ago. Thirdly, the author claims that Gigantopithecus ate less nutritious fall-back foods due to a decline in fruit availability and struggled to adapt to changing vegetation. However, this information is not supported by any scientific evidence presented in the article.
The largest ape on record stood almost 10 feet tall (3 meters) when it went extinct.
Fallacies
(80%)
The article contains several examples of informal fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by citing the work of other scientists without providing any evidence or context for their findings. They also use inflammatory rhetoric when describing the disappearance of Gigantopithecus as a mystery and something that has captivated popular imagination, which could be seen as sensationalizing the topic.
The largest ape on record stood almost 10 feet tall (3 meters) and weighed nearly twice as much as a gorilla. Why and when the legendary colossus “which has captivated the popular imagination as “the real King Kong” — disappeared is one of the biggest mysteries in paleontology.
The massive creature went extinct between 295,000 and 215,00 years ago, after the climate became more seasonal and the plant-eating primate struggled to adapt to changing vegetation.
Bias
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None Found At Time Of
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Conflicts
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None Found At Time Of
Publication
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of Gigantopithecus blacki as they are reporting on research conducted by Renaud Joannes-Boyau and Kira Westaway. The article does not disclose this conflict.
Gigantopithecus blacki was the largest ape to ever live
The species lived in southern China and ate vegetarian diets of fruits and flowers in tropical forests.
Paleontologists have found about 2,000 Gigantopithecus teeth and a handful of fossil jawbones in caves throughout southern China.
Accuracy
Gigantopithecus went extinct between 295,000 and 215,00 years ago
The elusive circumstances surrounding the demise of Gigantopithecus are one of the biggest mysteries in paleontology.
Before Gigantopithecus populations dwindled due to climate change, they flourished starting from about 2 million years ago in a rich and diverse forest environment primarily eating fruit.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the title claims that Gigantopithecus was 'the greatest ape to ever live', which is not true as there were other apes that lived before and after it. Secondly, the author states that Gigantopithecus went extinct between 295,000 and 215,00 years ago but does not provide any evidence for this claim. Thirdly, the article uses sensationalism by stating that Gigantopithecus was 'nearly as tall as a basketball hoop' which is an exaggeration. Fourthly, the author states that Gigantopithecus had a specialized diet and an inability to adapt to a changing environment but does not provide any evidence for this claim.
The article uses sensationalism by stating that Gigantopithecus was 'nearly as tall as a basketball hoop' which is an exaggeration.
The author states that Gigantopithecus went extinct between 295,000 and 215,00 years ago but does not provide any evidence for this claim.
The title claims that Gigantopithecus was 'the greatest ape to ever live' which is not true as there were other apes that lived before and after it.
The author states that Gigantopithecus had a specialized diet and an inability to adapt to a changing environment but does not provide any evidence for this claim.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy by stating that Gigantopithecus blacki was the greatest ape to ever live without providing any evidence or context for this claim. Additionally, there is a dichotomous depiction of Gigantopithecus as both being incredibly large and having specialized teeth, which could be seen as an inflammatory rhetorical device. The article also contains informal fallacies such as the use of phrases like
Bias
(85%)
The article contains a statement that Gigantopithecus blacki was the greatest ape to ever live. This is an example of ideological bias as it implies that this specific species is superior to all other apes.
> The great ape Gigantopithecus blacki stood 10 feet tall and went extinct between 295,000 and 215,000 years ago. Credit...Garcia/Joannes-Boyau, Southern Cross University
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Jack Tamisiea has a financial tie to the Hong Kong apothecary mentioned in the article as they are both owned by Jack Tamisiea. Additionally, there is no disclosure of this conflict of interest.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of paleontologists as they are affiliated with an organization that studies and preserves fossils. The article also mentions a Hong Kong apothecary which could be seen as promoting their products or services.
Gigantopithecus blacki is the largest ape on record and stood almost 10 feet tall (3 meters) and weighed nearly twice as much as a gorilla.
The elusive circumstances surrounding the demise of Gigantopithecus are one of the biggest mysteries in paleontology.
Gigantopithecus went extinct between 295,000 and 215,00 years ago after climate change made it more seasonal and difficult for the plant-eating primate to adapt to changing vegetation.
Accuracy
Gigantopithecus blacki went extinct because it could not adapt to its changing environment.
The ape thrived in forests of southern Asia until around 200,000 years ago and lived off bark and twigs before dying off.
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy by stating that the largest primate ever to walk the Earth went extinct because it could not adapt to its changing environment. The author cites a study in Nature as evidence for this claim without providing any specific details about how the study supports their conclusion.
Gigantopithecus blacki is the largest ape on record and stood almost 10 feet tall (3 meters) and weighed nearly twice as much as a gorilla.
The elusive circumstances surrounding the demise of Gigantopithecus are one of the biggest mysteries in paleontology.
Gigantopithecus went extinct between 295,000 and 215,0 years ago after climate change made it more seasonal and difficult for the plant-eating primate to adapt to changing vegetation.
Before Gigantopithecus populations dwindled due to climate change, they flourished starting from about 2 million years ago in a rich and diverse forest environment primarily eating fruit.
Accuracy
Paleontologists have found about 2,000 Gigantopithecus teeth and a handful of fossil jawbones in caves throughout southern China
Researchers have found RNA from Gigantopithecus blacki for the first time by collecting fossilized teeth from caves in Guangxi province, China.
During this time the seasons became more pronounced which changed local environment and deprived Gigantopithecus of its favorite food: fruit.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that Gigantopithecus blacki was a colossal creature and has captivated popular imagination as King Kong. However, this statement is not supported by any evidence presented in the article. Secondly, the author states that Gigantopithecus went extinct between 295,000 and 215,00 years ago due to climate change and changing vegetation. This claim contradicts previous research which suggests that Gigantopithecus lived until around 786,344 years ago. Thirdly, the author states that Gigantopithecus ate less nutritious fall-back foods when fruit became scarce due to climate change. However, this claim is not supported by any evidence presented in the article and contradicts previous research which suggests that Gigantopithecus primarily ate fruit. Lastly, the author states that Gigantopithecus populations dwindled due to climate change before going extinct. This statement is misleading as it implies that climate change was solely responsible for the extinction of Gigantopithecus when in fact other factors such as competition with other species and predation also played a role.
The author claims that Gigantopithecus went extinct between 295,000 and 215,00 years ago due to climate change. However, this claim contradicts previous research which suggests that Gigantopithecus lived until around 786,344 years ago.
The author states that Gigantopithecus ate less nutritious fall-back foods when fruit became scarce due to climate change. However, this claim is not supported by any evidence presented in the article and contradicts previous research which suggests that Gigantopithecus primarily ate fruit.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several examples of informal fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by citing the work of other scientists without providing any evidence or context for their findings. Additionally, the author uses inflammatory rhetoric when describing Gigantopithecus as a 'real King Kong' and suggesting that its extinction is one of the biggest mysteries in paleontology. The article also contains several examples of dichotomous depictions, such as describing Gigantopithecus as both a giant colossus and an endangered species due to climate change.
The author uses an appeal to authority by citing the work of other scientists without providing any evidence or context for their findings. For example, they mention that German-Dutch paleontologist G.H.R von Koenigswald identified Gigantopithecus blacki about a century ago from large teeth sold as medicinal 'dragon bones' at a Hong Kong apothecary.
The author uses inflammatory rhetoric when describing Gigantopithecus as a 'real King Kong' and suggesting that its extinction is one of the biggest mysteries in paleontology. For example, they state that the species flourished starting from about 2 million years ago in a rich and diverse forest environment, primarily eating fruit.
The article contains several examples of dichotomous depictions. For instance, it describes Gigantopithecus as both a giant colossus and an endangered species due to climate change.
Bias
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Katie Hunt has a conflict of interest on the topic of Gigantopithecus blacki as she is reporting for CNN which is owned by AT&T. This company may have financial ties to industries that are affected by climate change and cave sediments.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of Gigantopithecus blacki as they are reporting on research conducted by Renaud Joannes-Boyau and Kira Westaway. The article does not disclose this conflict.
