Reprinted in full from
http://english.people.com.cn/200601/23/eng20060123_237626.html
Fossil of "Sphinx" discovered in NE China
The legendary "Sphinx" eventually found its counterpart version in
archeological fossil. Chinese and American paleontologists found two
distinct kinds of bone characteristics in the fossil of a sharp-mouthed
mammal excavated in China's Liaoning province. The mammal's upper part
makes people believe it was viviparous while its lower part looks like
oviparous, reports Wen Hui Daily.
The latest issue of the British magazine Nature reports the
unprecedented discovery. The magazine editor as well as paleontologists
marveled at the discovery and believed it might change the traditional
theory on mammals evolution.
Li Gang, one of the coauthors of the paper, said the existing mammals
are classified into two groups - the viviparous therian which have fully
evolved bones such as kangaroos and elephants, and the oviparous
monotreme which have comparatively primitive bones. The newly discovered
fossil possesses the characteristics of both bones, a fact which won it
the title "world No.1".
Analysis of the fossil revealed that the mammal was 12 centimeters long
and weighed about 15 to 20 grams. It lived about 120 million years ago
in early Cretaceous period.
Further examination also found many evolutionary discrepancies. For
example, it had the teeth of therians but also retained the lumbar ribs
found only in primitive mammals.
So what is the explanation for this peculiar phenomenon of "lion body
and human head"? Li Gang reasoned that the mammal finished synchronized
evolution for both its upper part and lower part a long time ago.
However, for some special survival need it had to let its evolved lower
part to "retrogress" into a more primitive state.
--
Gregory Gadow
techbear@serv.net
KiltWear - http://www.cafepress.com/KiltWear
"Without faith we might relapse into scientific or rational thinking,
which leads by a slippery slope toward constitutional democracy."
- Robert Anton Wilson
.
|
