'Funky Worm' Fossil Helps Explain The Mysterious Origins of Amphibians

United States News News

'Funky Worm' Fossil Helps Explain The Mysterious Origins of Amphibians
United States Latest News,United States Headlines
  • 📰 ScienceAlert
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 37 sec. here
  • 2 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 18%
  • Publisher: 68%

Caecilians aren't exactly your run-of-the-mill amphibian.

Limbless, toothed, and worm-like, they spend their life burrowing through the soil, sensing the world with tentacles that protrude from between their eyes., or how they evolved. Fossils of only 11 species of ancestral caecilians have ever been found, so our understanding of how they are related to other amphibians, such as frogs and salamanders, is fragmented at best.

Now, a team of scientists from the US has uncovered a collection of tiny jawbones representing a new species that plugs a huge gap in the fossil record, revealing more about the unique features of modern-day caecilians and the evolutionary origins of moisty amphibians. Virginia Tech paleontologist Ben Kligman and colleagues describe finding the fossils – some jawbones no more than a quarter-inch long – in Arizona at a site called Thunderstorm Ridge where the remnants of more than 70 individual caecilians have since been unearthed.

Given the known age of the fossil deposit and its recognizable teeth,"we immediately knew it was a caecilian, [and] the oldest caecilian fossil ever found," Kligman

We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

ScienceAlert /  🏆 63. in US

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Can Low Speed Electric Vehicles Spark The EV Revolution In Africa? Part 2: Funky Electric’s FE1Can Low Speed Electric Vehicles Spark The EV Revolution In Africa? Part 2: Funky Electric’s FE1In South Africa, Funky Electric is bringing its first LSEV to the market, the FE1.
Read more »

Photos of the Tucson Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Showcase through the yearsPhotos of the Tucson Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Showcase through the yearsThe Tucson Gem Show is now among the largest of its kind in the country and the showcase has grown to include more than 50 satellite shows around the city. The Tucson Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Showcase started in 1955…
Read more »

Shareholder Resolutions Push Big Banks to Phase Out Fossil Fuel Financing'By supporting these resolutions, shareholders can hold banks accountable to their own climate commitments, effectively manage risk, and protect people and the planet,' says stopmoneypipe's ArielleSchw as shareholder activists target Wall Street banks.
Read more »

Fossil-fuel funding could speed energy transitionCorrespondence: Fossil-fuel funding could speed energy transition
Read more »

3 injured in Des Moines shooting at charter school, police say3 injured in Des Moines shooting at charter school, police sayA Des Moines school shooting injured 3 people at Starts Right Here, a charter school which helps young people living in disadvantaged circumstances.
Read more »



Render Time: 2025-02-06 22:33:16