"A" link, but not "the" link -- a chain has many links, and so does an evolutionary sequence.
Understood about the multiple links.
I do find it strange that this article is written without any references to the various species spetznaz mentioned.
Lungfish are not part of the chain. The differentiation began before today's lungfish came along.
And, as always, all chains has a weak one.
" "A" link, but not "the" link -- a chain has many links, and so does an evolutionary sequence."
Does raise a question though.
If the tree of life takes two forks, and one fork develops a lung but no articulated fin structures, while a seperate fork develops a shoulder-elbow-wrist mechanism but no lung, how do those two seperated developments get back together?
Not to annoy, but someone could make a case for evidence of design right there. Is a lungfish's lung just like ours? Could seperate branches be reasonably assumed to develop identical complex mechanisms?
As previously stated, a succession of transitional fossils exists that link reptiles (Class Reptilia) and mammals (Class Mammalia). These particular reptiles are classifie as Subclass Synapsida. Presently, this is the best example of th e transformation of one major higher taxon into another. The morphologic changes that took place are well documented by fossils, beginning with animals essentially 100% reptilian and resulting in animals essentially 100% mammalian. Therefore, I have chosen this as the example to summarize in more detail (Table 1, Fig. 1).
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M. Eyes = ?
Nose = ?
Teeth incisors = ?
K. Eyes = ?
Nose = pointy
Teeth incisors = small
J. Eyes = Medium
Nose = stubby
Teeth incisors = BIG
I. Eyes = Medium
Nose = less stubby
Teeth incisors = big
H. Eyes = smaller
Nose = more blunt
Teeth incisors = smaller
G. Eyes = SMALL
Nose = Pointer
Teeth incisors = Skinny
F. Eyes = BIG
Nose = Blunt
Teeth incisors = Thin
E. Eyes = HUGE!
Nose = pointy, again
Teeth incisors = Bigger
D. Eyes = Smaller
Nose = Getting wider
Teeth incisors = Bigger: two!
C. Eyes = Huge, again!
Nose = broader
Teeth incisors = very small
B. Eyes = less huge
Nose = less broad
Teeth incisors = ??
A. Eyes = bigger again
Nose = rounded
Teeth incisors = small
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(The chart is from The Fossil Record: Evolution or "Scientific Creation" by Clifford A. Cuffey. It is on part 5 of a multipart article. The beginning of the article is here. )
After seeing these pix; do you?