This is a new transitional fossil manmmal called Yanoconodon. It's from the Meozoic era (about 200 million years ago). The fossil tells us a great deal about mammalian evolution, especially the evolution of the jaw and ears. If you are interested in evolution you must read PZ Myers' excellent description of this fossil [Yanoconodon, a transitional fossil].The creationist and intelligent design websites will soon be out with their own explanation of how this fossil fits with their version of the history of life. I'll link to them as soon as they post. If you spot these interpretations before I do, please let me know. I can't wait to see how they handle this news scientific evidence.
Meanwhile, congratulations PZ for a wonderful article.
"I'll link to them as soon as they post."
ReplyDeleteWe are all ears.
(And yes, PZ's post brought out a lot of details the press releases didn't.)
Hey, here's one: http://creationsafaris.com/crev200703.htm#20070319a Be sure to continue reading into the green print, or you will miss questions like "How do they know it was not some other animal whose skeleton got deformed in the fossilization process?"
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