425 million years ago. They invented. The MAN.

[Coeloptera]

Oldest known male fossil bares all - Science Mysteries - MSNBC.com

"WASHINGTON, Dec. 4, 2003 - Scientists have discovered what may be the oldest known unequivocally male animal fossil."

"The exquisitely preserved soft parts of the 425-million-year-old relative of the crab, lobster and barnacle are rare and telling. The find also pushes the earliest date for a soft-tissue fossil from this prolific group of crustaceans called “ostracodes” back by almost 200 million years — helping to fill a wide gap in the fossil record."

Since occasionally we get a lil' amusingly, stereotypically "manly" here, I thought we'd all appreciate seeing the first known weenus!



(It's the shadowy orange thing near the bottom.)

- Coeloptera

[jmp8927]

Sooo....one fossil "fills" 200 million years....riiiight. If anything existed that far back there would most certainly be more than one. SHeeeesh.

Oh and btw, that is funny

[Coeloptera]

Originally Posted by jmp8927

Sooo....one fossil "fills" 200 million years....riiiight. If anything existed that far back there would most certainly be more than one. SHeeeesh.

That's not quite what they said, but the article could have been clearer on it.

There is an extant gap in the fossil record between the ostracodes as we are aware of them 225 million years ago, and their origins further back.

In other words, we had 225 or so million year old ostracode fossils already, and we had things from further back than 425 million years that seemed to be precursor to those, but we didn't know around what periods they started being like the ones we had already.

So, with this lil' guy (emphasis on guy), we now have narrowed down the period in which the precursors started seeming more like the ones we know about.

Also, we had a gap between 225 million years ago or so where we knew we had ostracodes, but we didn't know how early they may have existed in that sort of form. Now we know they existed at least 200 million years or so before then. So now we know we can start looking for them throughout that entire intervening period because they existed during it.

Knowing how far back you should be looking, especially for microscopic fossils, is pretty important, considering you can't just eyeball the rock and see them.

The article was unclear. The one guy here doesn't fill the record in by himself. But he tells us that his kind existed at least 425 million years ago since we had these suckers from only 225 million years ago, that's the gap that was filled. Knowing how far back we had them, not all the intervening stuff. That's yet to be found.

That's how good science works. It's very painstaking. Now that we know what to look for and in which rock, we'll likely find more. But guys this tiny don't fossilize easily, they're so delicate. Remember, they had to annihilate the fossil to image it.

But still. Oldest known, unequivocally male member. Gives you a sense of the long and illustrious history of it, huh?

- Coeloptera

[SPOCAHP ANAR]

Interesting; I might have to read more about it later. Puts this in the cambrian time period which is known for its Trilobites as being one of the most proliferant fossils.

[Cyrille]

S0?

[KGunner]

Originally Posted by jmp8927

Sooo....one fossil "fills" 200 million years....riiiight. If anything existed that far back there would most certainly be more than one. SHeeeesh.

Oh and btw, that is funny

Most of us can't find our keys and wallets after only a few hours, imagine trying to find something 200 million years old after erosion and dramatic climate shifts that wiped out entire areas.

[Oxford]

Spocahp Anar is gonna want one of those rock fossils for his rock collection.

[Brother Bob]

Looks like a well-hung flea! LOL!............. Can I say that and not get in trouble?????? Oops! Too late now! LOL!

[MrsS]

HMMMM.....

[TXplt]

Interesting--thanks Coel

Didn't see the "resource gathering" appendage so's he gets a chance to use it