Fossil Fish Sheds Light on Transition

The New York Times ^ | April 5, 2006 | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

[planetesimal]

NEW YORK (AP) -- Scientists have caught a fossil fish in the act of adapting toward a life on land, a discovery that sheds new light one of the greatest transformations in the history of animals.

Scientists have long known that fish evolved into the first creatures on land with four legs and backbones more than 365 million years ago, but they've had precious little fossil evidence to document how it happened.

The new find of several specimens looks more like a land-dweller than the few other fossil fish known from the transitional period, and researchers speculate that it may have taken brief excursions out of the water.

[planetesimal]

Also look here for the original work: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v440/n7085/edsumm/e060406-01.html

[ClearCase_guy]

if a scientist set out to design a plausible candidate, ''you'd probably come up with something like this.''

He'd have to be a pretty Intelligent scientist to Design something like this.

just a joke

[Daralundy]

Similar but not identical article on the same subject.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1609687/posts

[planetesimal]

Ah, my search missed that, thanks.

[muawiyah]

And still no answer about whether it tasted like fish or chicken.

[3dognight]

Scientists have long known that fish evolved into the first creatures on land with four legs and backbones more than 365 million years ago, but they've had precious little fossil evidence to document how it happened.

Question, how did they know it if they had little evidence? Sounds more like speculation to me if you don't have the evidence.

[foldspace]

When facts determined, watch for no retraction...(sic)

[68skylark]

Question, how did they know it if they had little evidence?

The article says they had little fossile evidence of the link to fish and land animals. I think they probably had other kinds of evidence, like genetics.

[Boogieman]

"The researchers have not yet dug up any remains from the hind end of the creature's body, so they don't know exactly what the hind fins and tail might have looked like."

Ok, if they haven't found any remains of the hind end, how do they know it had fins and a tail? Indeed, how do they really know that it was a fish? This will probably turn out to be an extinct species of crocodile, and the scientists will brush this under the rug along with Piltdown man and the rest of their circus sideshow attractions.

[taxesareforever]

Scientists have long known that fish evolved into the first creatures on land with four legs and backbones more than 365 million years ago, but they've had precious little fossil evidence to document how it happened.

I see how the process works. Result=opinion. Here all along we have been hearing the evos touting evidence=results. Let's see, "scientists have know" but "little evidence"= ? Can't convince me that all the hearsay we hear from scientists is true. That goes for this article also.

[Sofa King]

Scientists have long known that fish evolved into the first creatures on land with four legs and backbones more than 365 million years ago, but they've had precious little fossil evidence to document how it happened.

They could deduce and extrapolate from other fossils that it must have happened, but with a gap in the fossil record right where it happened there was only so much they could determine about it. Now that the fossil has shown up, just as predicted, we can learn more about the specifics of how it. The Scientific Process FTW!

[3dognight]

From the article:

Knowing that detail about the transition from fish to land-dweller, she said, ''might help us to unravel why it happened at all. Why did creatures come out of the water and get legs and walk away?''


I wonder why/how they worked that out too. I would like some wings so I don't have to drive to work. Could someone tell me how I can "get" some?

[johnandrhonda]

When I was a kid, used to catch eels in streams that had tiny legs on their sides--totally useless. Were these land animal evolving towards water animals, or vice versa? Or something else? Also, don't modern day whales have bones in their bodies that used to be legs? Any biology majors out there?

[Boogieman]

Wait 5-6 billion years and it will happen automatically :)

[3dognight]

i>Wait 5-6 billion years and it will happen automatically :)

Thats not the answer I was looking for. They have a big road construction project going on this summer on my 50 mile commute to work. I have really decided I need to evolve in the next couple of weeks.

[3dognight]

I read this article and I agree it is so funny. I love the part about how these fish just got some legs and walked away. Their faith is how they "know" this happened.

[ZULU]

The evidence for evolution is pretty circumstanial.

Nobody ever saw one species evolve into another before their eyes.

Nor, for that matter, have most people seen an atom.

But the circumstantial evidence for both is overwhelming.

[TheOldSchool]

Is there anyone out there who has studied the "walking catfish" that exists today?