Posted on 01/13/2013 7:16:14 PM PST by BenLurkin
Dr Stephanie Pierce from the Royal Veterinary College and Professor Jennifer Clack from the University of Cambridge, who led the international team in the NERC-funded investigation, have been studying a 360 million year old extinct animal, Ichthyostega; thought to be the first species to have made brief excursions onto land.
They had previously built up a 3D digital model of Ichthyostega's skeleton but on examination of the vertebral column, it became clear that something strange was happening. The researchers then scanned three fossil specimens using high energy X-rays, produced by the ESRF synchrotron in Grenoble , in order to build extremely detailed 3D images of the spine. What they found was unexpected.
Until now, it was thought that early tetrapod's vertebrae were made up of four separate bones – one at the front, one above and a pair at the back. But, the images showed that in Ichthyostega's vertebrae the bones at the back have become fused to the one in front.
This discovery meant that what was previously thought to be the first bone in the series of each vertebra was, in reality, the last
(Excerpt) Read more at chem.info ...
Hah! I suspect there are many more mistakes like this.
Understandable.
What most Democrats and fawning political pundits believe we have at the top of the Governmental vertebra is the awesomest skull of “The One!”.
In reality, what we have is the coccyx.
All the great minds in the academic world have one thing in common...”Publish or parish”. It makes no difference if they are right or wrong!
So that makes me a back-flipping chimp?
It makes my day when some know-it-all scientist is proved wrong.
Reference book ping about fossil digging.
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