Missing Link

Transitional fossil

A transitional fossil is any fossilized remains of a life form that exhibits traits common to both an ancestral group and its derived descendant group. This is especially important where the descendant group is sharply differentiated by gross anatomy and mode of living from the ancestral group. These fossils serve as a reminder that taxonomic divisions are human constructs that have been imposed in hindsight on a continuum of variation. Because of the incompleteness of the fossil record, there is usually no way to know exactly how close a transitional fossil is to the point of divergence. Therefore, it cannot be assumed that transitional fossils are direct ancestors of more recent groups, though they are frequently used as models for such ancestors.

Missing link (human evolution)

"Missing link" is a non-scientific term that typically refers to transitional fossils. It is often used in popular science and in the media for any new transitional form. The term originated to describe the hypothetical intermediate form in the evolutionary series of anthropoid ancestors to anatomically modern humans (hominization). The term was influenced by the pre-Darwinian evolutionary theory of the Great Chain of Being and the now-outdated notion that simple organisms are more primitive than complex organisms (orthogenesis).

Missing Link (2019 film)

Missing Link is a 2019 American stop-motion animated adventure comedy film written and directed by Chris Butler. It features the voices of Hugh Jackman, Zoe Saldaña, Emma Thompson, Stephen Fry, David Walliams, Timothy Olyphant, Matt Lucas, Amrita Acharia, and Zach Galifianakis. The plot follows Mr. Link, an orangutan-like Sasquatch who, with the help of British explorers Sir Lionel Frost and Adelina Fortnight, travels to the Himalayas to meet his Yeti cousins.

missing link

Noun

1. A hypothetical primate once thought necessary to explain a perceived evolutionary gap between apes and humans.
2. Any sought-after or valuable intermediary figure or position.