"Scientists Call Fish Fossil the 'Missing Link'"

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NYTimes: Scientists Call Fish Fossil the 'Missing Link'

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Scientists have discovered fossils of a 375 million-year-old fish, a large scaly creature not seen before, that they say is a long-sought "missing link" in the evolution of some fishes from water to a life walking on four limbs on land.

In addition to confirming elements of a major transition in evolution, the fossils are widely seen by scientists as a powerful rebuttal to religious creationists, who hold a literal biblical view on the origins and development of life.

Several well-preserved skeletons of the fossil fish were uncovered in sediments of former stream beds in the Canadian Arctic, 600 miles from the North Pole, it is being reported on Thursday in the journal Nature. The skeletons have the fins and scales and other attributes of a giant fish, four to nine feet long.

But on closer examination, scientists found telling anatomical traits of a transitional creature, a fish that is still a fish but exhibiting changes that anticipate the emergence of land animals — a predecessor thus of amphibians, reptiles and dinosaurs, mammals and eventually humans.
 
In addition to confirming elements of a major transition in evolution, the fossils are widely seen by scientists as a powerful rebuttal to religious creationists, who hold a literal biblical view on the origins and development of life.

Which will be answered with the usual "God put it there to deceive us" crap.
 
That's one ugly mother... ;)

It's very likely there's not just ONE missing link, but many. Parallel evolution in nature isn't at all unheard of, there were probably any number of fish species that developed the ability to crawl up on land to cavort about.
 
Guden Oden said:
That's one ugly mother... ;)

It's very likely there's not just ONE missing link, but many. Parallel evolution in nature isn't at all unheard of, there were probably any number of fish species that developed the ability to crawl up on land to cavort about.
True, but this is the first evidence we've found of any of 'em so I still count it as exciting. ;)
 
digitalwanderer said:
this is the first evidence we've found of any of 'em so I still count it as exciting. ;)
There's at least one currently living fish species which has the ability to slither around on land - or well, in mud really. They can spend hours out of the water and like, fight and copulate and stuff... Saw 'em on a TV nature show years ago, they looked kind of frog-like in a way with eyes raised on top of their heads as I recall. Really cool fishies.
 
"In addition to confirming elements of a major transition in evolution, the fossils are widely seen by scientists as a powerful rebuttal to religious creationists, who hold a literal biblical view on the origins and development of life."

Gotta love journalism. It implies that any working scientist even gives a moments thought to creationist ideas, which is clearly absurd.

And Digi, there are a never ending supply of transitional species. The term "missing link" is stupid, and one can only imagine a term that was invented by the media.
 
Guden Oden said:
There's at least one currently living fish species which has the ability to slither around on land - or well, in mud really. They can spend hours out of the water and like, fight and copulate and stuff... Saw 'em on a TV nature show years ago, they looked kind of frog-like in a way with eyes raised on top of their heads as I recall. Really cool fishies.
That one doesn't have the rudimentary leg/feet structure that this species exhibits.
 
digitalwanderer said:
That one doesn't have the rudimentary leg/feet structure that this species exhibits.
Don't tell this guy.
 

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