October 26, 2006
WHAT PRESSURE?:
Scientists Find Lamprey A 'Living Fossil': 360 Million-year-old Fish Hasn't Evolved Much (University of Chicago Medical Center, October 26, 2006)
Scientists from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, and the University of Chicago have uncovered a remarkably well-preserved fossil lamprey from the Devonian period that reveals today's lampreys as "living fossils" since they have remained largely unaltered for 360 million years. [...]Chicago's Michael Coates, PhD, joined Witwatersrand's Bruce Rubidge, PhD, and graduate student and lead author Rob Gess to describe the new find in the article, "A lamprey from the Devonian of South Africa" to be published in the Oct. 26, 2006, issue of Nature.
"Apart from being the oldest fossil lamprey yet discovered, this fossil shows that lampreys have been parasitic for at least 360 million years," said Rubidge, director of the Bernard Price Institute for Palaeontological Research.
Wow, that's an even longer parasitic existence than France. Posted by Orrin Judd at October 26, 2006 3:14 PM
That sure is a long time to suck.
Posted by: Twn at October 26, 2006 4:27 PMInsofar as lampers suck blood for food, why should anyone be surprised that such an organism has lasted for so long? Sort of explains the existence of a certain kind of lawyer.
Golly. Darwin is right! Evolution is proven!
All best,
Ed
Posted by: Ed Bush at October 26, 2006 6:56 PM