Ancient fish that lived 436 million years ago swam flexibly in the ancient ocean. This was restored by Chinese researchers based on a batch of fish fossil specimens discovered in the Chongqing Special Buried Fossil Library and the Guizhou Shiqian Fossil Library. scene. Among the newly discovered fossil specimens, scientific researchers found the oldest jawed tooth fossils in the world, and discovered a group of ancient fish fossils such as the oldest jawed miracle Xiushan fish, revealing the rise of jawed vertebrates. . On September 29, "Nature" magazine published four academic papers by the team as cover articles at the same time, focusing on this batch of research results on the origin and earliest evolution of gnathostomes.
Three-dimensional artistic reconstruction of the five newly discovered new genera and species of Silurian ancient fish, from From top to bottom: Shenacanthus vermiformis, Fanjingshania renovata, Qianodus duplicis, Tujiaaspis vividus and Xiushanosteus mirabilis). The ages of these fish fossils are 436 million and 439 million years ago respectively. (Produced by imitation stone technology)
Including humans, 99.8% of the existing vertebrates on the earth have jaws and are collectively called jawed vertebrates or gnathostomes. The emergence and rise of jawed animals is one of the most critical leaps in the history of vertebrate evolution, "from fish to man." However, from a global perspective, very few jawed fossils have been discovered during the Silurian Period, 440 million to 410 million years ago, and there is still a 35 million-year gap in the fossil record of early jawed creatures.
In the past ten years, Zhu Min's team, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a researcher at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has visited more than 200 locations in my country's Silurian strata that may contain fish. The discovery of Chongqing's unique buried fossil library provides important evidence to fill this gap. The discovery process was quite a bit "lucky". In 2019, the scientific research team searched carefully along a newly built winding mountain road in Chongqing. They found a messy pile of rocks on the roadside with a casual tap of a geological hammer. The key to unlocking this "treasure trove" of fish fossils.
On a fossil slate that is only the size of a palm, dozens of fish fossils are clearly identifiable and vivid. "We never expected to find such complete and exquisite fossil specimens in such ancient strata." Zhu Min said with emotion.
Miracle Show Mountain Fish
Using high-precision CT scanning, fine three-dimensional reconstruction, scanning electron microscopy element analysis, full-light imaging and other technologies, scientific researchers discovered the miracle Xiushan fish from the fossils. This is the oldest jawed species currently discovered, and it will be the complete jawed species. The fossil record stretches back 11 million years, tracing the origins of several human body structures to fossil fish from 436 million years ago. The oldest well-preserved stickleback, the Creepyback stickleback, has also been discovered. This is the earliest associated well-preserved large fossil of a cartilaginous fish found in the world, proving that sharks evolved from "wearing armor" evolved from ancestors. The jawless armored fish Tujia fish provides key fossil evidence for the origin of paired appendages in vertebrates.
Zhu Min said that the Chongqing Special Buried Fossil Library is another world-class special buried fossil library discovered in my country after the Chengjiang Biota and the Jehol Biota and provides a large amount of key evidence for exploring important nodes in the evolution of the tree of life. It confirms that as late as 440 million years ago, various major groups of jawed animals were already thriving in South my country. By the late Silurian period, more diverse and larger species of gnathostomes appeared and began to spread across the globe, starting the process of fish landing and eventually evolving into humans.
Creepy stickleback
Important discoveries were also made in the Shiqian Fossil Library in Guizhou, hundreds of kilometers away. From fossil samples with a total weight of about 4 tons, scientific researchers have successively found 23 jaw tooth specimens with a length of only about 2.5 millimeters. They come from the dislocated Guizhou fish. This is the oldest jawed tooth fossil found worldwide, pushing back the earliest fossil record of teeth by 14 million years.
Now, the scientific research team's field work continues. Zhu Min said that detailed research on the two newly discovered fossil libraries will continue to change our understanding of the origin of jaws and the earliest evolution of gnathostomes. "This series of results is just the beginning. I believe there will continue to be surprises in the future." , we still need to continue to pursue and find.”
you may also like
Penguins are marine birds, although they sometimes also inhabit land, ice sheets, and sea ice. Penguins spend about half of their lives in the sea and half on land. Penguins cannot fly but are good at swimming. When walking on land, it moves clumsily, with its feet on the ground and its body upright, relying on its tail and wings to maintain balance. When encountering an emergency, it can quickly lie down, stretch its wings, and crawl on the ice and snow; sometimes it can also use its tail and w...
Animal migration is a spectacular natural phenomenon, with millions of creatures traveling thousands of miles to survive, reproduce, or find a better habitat. Under the protection of nature, many animals have demonstrated amazing migratory abilities. From migratory birds in the sky to whales in the...
The so-called food chain refers to the food relationship between the weak and the strong and the interdependence between living things. As the saying goes, "big fish eat small fish, small fish eat shrimps, and shrimps eat the mud bottom" vividly and vividly metaphors this interdependent food...
Abstract: Birds are very common animals in life. We can always see sparrows jumping around on the street, and sometimes we can see pigeons, swallows, magpies, etc. So, do you know what kinds of birds there are? If we divide them by major categories, there are land birds, waterfowl, birds of prey, so...
Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) is the world's tallest land animal and belongs to the African mammals. The following is detailed information and living habits about giraffes: Appearance features Body size: Giraffes have a tall body shape, with adults usually re...
Imagine that you are a researcher who conducts an ingenious experiment and uses all your scientific experience to successfully complete the experiment. Many years later your phone rings with congratulations from colleagues because you have just won the Nobel Prize. You fly to Stockholm, Swede...
Recently, groups of red deer have appeared in the Baiyinxile National Grassland Nature Reserve of Xilingol League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. They either lower their heads for food or run into the depths of the grassland in groups, adding vitality to the cold winter.Red deer is a national sec...
The Demoiselle Crane is also known as the Lady Crane. As the name suggests, its appearance is as graceful as a lady's and is endowed with a delicate, elegant and quiet beauty in traditional Chinese culture. But it has a persevering character, has a tenacious ability to survive in the wild, an...
Email: jsset#163.com (change # to @) Please indicate your purpose of visit! Guangdong ICP No. 2022053326 XML| map| Chinese
