As we all know, from the primary school exposure to biology and even many extracurricular popular science books, they are conveying a message to us: the ancestors of human beings were apes. This is based on the conclusion of archaeological research, and it has almost become a recognized theorem in human society. However, recently, Chinese scientists were surprised to find evolutionary evidence of "from fish to humans", and the history of human origin has been rewritten. So many netizens said in surprise: When they woke up overnight, their ancestors changed.
It is reported that this is the latest and latest research result of Chinese scientists in the world. It not only adds two world-class special buried fossil libraries, "Chongqing Special Buried Fossil Library" and "Guizhou Shiqian Fossil Library", but also fills the gap in the early record of jaw fossils in the Silurian period, providing for the first time for its rise and early radiation differentiation. So what kind of evidence does this fossil that existed about 440 million years ago record? And what does this mean?
rewrite history! Chinese scientists have discovered the evolutionary evidence of "From fish to humans"
According to relevant data statistics, 99.8% of vertebrates at the front end of the global evolutionary chain, including humans, have jaw bones. The jaw actually refers to the upper jaw and chin, so existing vertebrates are also collectively called jawed vertebrates or jawed species. But it is worth mentioning that the most complete jaw fossils currently formed in the late Silurian period 425 million years ago, while the origin of jaw 450 million years ago was no later than the late Ordovician period 450 million years ago. Therefore, when the two compare, there is a huge gap that lasts 30 million years and spans the entire Silurian - the "ghost branch".
Because of the huge gap, there are problems such as what jaws look like, how big they are, what ecological niches are in, how they evolve between them, etc., which is equivalent to a fault, no one knows. But before this, scientists discovered sporadic thorns and scales in the Silurian strata in nature, and it is unknown whether they have any relationship. In order to clarify this mystery that plagues scientists around the world, Academician Zhu Min has traveled to more than 200 places in the Silurian strata in my country that may contain fish.
Finally, the precious "Chongqing Special Buried Fossil Library" and "Guizhou Shiqian Fossil Library" were discovered in the early Silurian strata in South China, and the key to cracking the mystery of the initial rise and radiation differentiation of jaws was found. So what exactly are there on the fossils?
It is reported that these fossil libraries rarely retain complete early Silurian fish fossils. As for the "Chongqing Special Buried Fossil Library", the fossils are mainly from the Lando Verestelec period 436 million years ago. They are currently the only special buried fossil library in the world that preserves the early Silurian period intact jaw fossils. They are not only numerous and complete in variety, but also very complete and exquisite.
Through this fossil library, three types of fish become key points: jawless armored fish, jawless Shen's sprig fish, jawed fish, miracle Xiushan fish. They respectively became evidence of the origin of vertebrate paired appendages . The jawed Shen's sprigfish is the earliest well-preserved cartilage fish discovered so far, and confirmed that sharks evolved from it. The Miracle Xiushan Fish of the jaw combines the characteristics of a variety of shield-skinned fish , providing in-depth research and precious information for the origin of the main groups of the roots of the jaw-skinned tree of life and the evolution of vertebrate skulls.
Chongqing Xiushan 436 million years ago photo and sketch
creeping Shen's sprig fish positive specimens, schematic sketching and morphological reconstruction
Miracle Xiushan fish three-dimensional restoration
Secondly, the "Guizhou Shiqian Fossil Library" era is about 439 million years ago, belonging to the late Elon period of the Lando Veresland (early Silurian period). There are also two types of fish that have become important evidence, namely the double-row Guizhou-toothed fish and the Xinshu Fanjing Mountain Fish. Although only their tooth rotation and spines were found, this was enough to finally settle the long-term debate in the scientific community on the classification location of Ordovician , Silurian fish scales and spinous fossils.
Double-row Guizhou-toothed fish teeth spiral (positive mode) digital restoration, tongue surface view, specimen length just exceeded 2 mm
New Volume Fanjing Mountain Fish Three-dimensional restoration
China South China jaws are thriving, the world's first evolution human being from our country?
It is worth noting that in order to have a deeper understanding of the fossils found in the "Chongqing Special Buried Fossil Library" and the "Guizhou Shiqian Fossil Library", Academician Zhu Min's team has used new technologies such as high-precision CT, trait big data analysis, fluid dynamics simulation and other new technologies to analyze fossils. Therefore, relevant anatomical data were also published in the internationally renowned journal " Nature ", fully demonstrating the origin and rise of jaws, and further rewrite that human ancestors were apes, but "from fish to humans".
. What is very surprising is that through this analysis and research, scientists also said that in South my country, there were major groups of jaws that were already thriving as of 440 million years ago. By the late Silurian period, more diverse and larger jaw-like species evolved and spread to the world, eventually opening up the complete process from fish to humans. So in this case, can it be understood that the land where our country is now located is the place where the most primitive human origins? Or maybe the first human might have originated here?
actually cannot be said completely, because this is just the initial research result of the discovery of fossils. As Academician Zhu Min said, what kind of genetic mechanisms the jaws in these fossils caused them to appear and what kind of genetic mechanisms they eventually became humans are all issues that the subsequent scientific research team needs to study. Perhaps by then, we can figure out this more critical issue, and we may really find out where the first human in the world has evolved successfully, and even the origin of life may finally be found. What do you think?
