Fossil Overturns Ideas of Jurassic Mammals

AP ^ | February 23, 2006 2:43 PM EST | RANDOLPH E. SCHMID

[VadeRetro]

This image provided by the journal Science shows a Castorcauda lustrasimilis, a docodont mammaliaform from the Middle Jurrassic .Characterized by an evolutionary convergence of its "beaver-like" tail, and some dental feautres for feeding small fish and invertebrates convergent to that of an otter. MARK A. KLINGER

WASHINGTON - The discovery of a furry, beaver-like animal that lived at the time of dinosaurs has overturned more than a century of scientific thinking about Jurassic mammals.

The find shows that the ecological role of mammals in the time of dinosaurs was far greater than previously thought, said Zhe-Xi Luo, curator of vertebrate paleontology at Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh.

The animal is the earliest swimming mammal to have been found and was the most primitive mammal to be preserved with fur, which is important to helping keep a constant body temperature, Luo said in a telephone interview.

[zeeba neighba]

Thread jumping is not allowed and has nothing to do with the fact that we should all act like we are face to face and should treat each other with respect.

[kinsman redeemer]

You supply more words but they are still inadequate and the conclusions you make are not justified.

I challenge you to demonstrate where - look at all of my posts back to 1998 if you will - I have ever said that science is "a conspiracy, or movement, to remove God from the public square" or that I have said anything that is "anti-science" or even that science "is wrong".

Furthermore, how do come to only two alternatives for what I am saying:
o science is attempting to destroy my religion, or
o science is evil

Do you think you can set the standards for me by posing a false dichotomy? Is this an example of how you reason? What can I conclude about other declarations of truth that you make?

----------

Here's what I have noticed about many on this thread: You act like a gang of bullies on a playground. You insult people. You terrorize anyone who you disagrees with you. You act like "jerks."

You don't know me. You know nothing about me - other than my professed faith in God and his creative power.

You don't know about my education, my career, my experiences, my work... you know nothing!

The fact is that science puts bread on the table (and has done so for 30 years), but God supplies the bread of life. I happen to trust him in both. But the latter has more meaning to me than the former.

[VadeRetro]

Thread jumping is not allowed and has nothing to do with the fact that we should all act like we are face to face and should treat each other with respect.

You have addressed nothing. This is my thread. Would you mind buzzing off?

[Right Wing Professor]

Thread jumping is not allowed and has nothing to do with the fact that we should all act like we are face to face and should treat each other with respect.

As I said, this is an excellent opportunity for you to lead by example. I see nothing in your recent past to indicate this is a rule you yourself follow, but a man can always change. Off you go. I'll watch, and if inspired by your example, I'll emulate.

[zeeba neighba]

You act like a gang of bullies on a playground

Poor l'il Christian, did you think it was a fair playing field?

[<1/1,000,000th%]

The fact is that science puts bread on the table (and has done so for 30 years), but God supplies the bread of life. I happen to trust him in both. But the latter has more meaning to me than the former.

At least we agree on this.

[Virginia-American]

Isn't the missing link, by definition, still missing?

[js1138]

The fact is that science puts bread on the table (and has done so for 30 years), but God supplies the bread of life. I happen to trust him in both. But the latter has more meaning to me than the former.

And nothing about your fairh in God has the slightest bearing on scientific discussions. There is nothing about science that can be addressed by faith, and vice versa.

[VadeRetro]

I sometimes wonder what people imagine they're even asking for when they pop onto a thread with, "Found that missing link yet?" We've sure found a lot of links since the term "missing link" came into existence but, no, now they aren't missing anymore.

[Sopater]

Please let me be the first to apologize.

I apologize to RWP for calling his education into question simply because of his poor sentence structure and grammatical ignorance.

Then I humbly ask the group to forgive me for starting a firestorm of accusations and name calling.

[Fintan]

 

I'm forwarding this to the Phillies' front office. They need all the help they can get.

[Fintan]

 

I'm forwarding this to the Phillies' front office. They need all the help they can get.

[VadeRetro]

I would really prefer the thread be about actual technical issues, however testily argued, than about who said what about whom first. That would keep the pikers out. Your slur of a non-apology is unhelpful in this regard, but let us nevertheless return to whatever we were doing before the prissy post police showed up.

[VadeRetro]

The kangaroo could probably cover a lot of ground in the outfield.

[Fintan]

The kangaroo could probably cover a lot of ground in the outfield.

 

More than Bobby Abreu, that's for sure.

[Virginia-American]

We've sure found a lot of links since the term "missing link" came into existence but, no, now they aren't missing anymore.

The missing ones are still missing.

Granted, there's an impressive pile of once-missing ones that have been found.

[GreenFreeper]

More than Bobby Abreu, that's for sure.

Please, you talking to a Cubs fan here. You get no sympathy!

[Right Wing Professor]

I apologize to RWP for calling his education into question simply because of his poor sentence structure and grammatical ignorance.

You're no more competent to judge my writing than you are to pontificate on biology. But if you want to improve, a good start would be to note that the word is 'physical', not 'phisical'. Ordinarily I attribute boners like that to mis-typing, but in the present case it looks like ignorance. Perhaps we should make allowances, though; the standard keyboard, being designed for those with 5 digits on each hand rather than 6, must be hard for you to manage.

[js1138]

We've sure found a lot of links since the term "missing link" came into existence but, no, now they aren't missing anymore.

The problem is, every missing link found exposes two new ones.

[PatrickHenry]

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