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Newfound fossils in China highlight a dizzying diversity of Cambrian life
- debatem1 8y agoStupid question, but there have been a number of high profile fossil forgeries in China over the last few years and my understanding is that these are largely done by destroying other fossils of the type to fool tests that rely on the chemical composition being wrong. Is that easier or harder to get away with things like this that have few close parallels?
- yorwba 8y agoI think it's kind of hard to destroy unremarkable fossils so they not only 1) appear as unknown taxa 2) and are well-preserved, but also 3) create a complete Lagerstätte where palaeontologists can just go and dig up more of them.
- nyc111 8y agoDoes this mean that this area was a sea (or a lake) in the Cambrian where these creatures lived?
- maze-le 8y agoIt was part of the ocean. The Eurasian landmass was not yet established and in large parts submerged. The bulk of the landmass of what is now central/eastern Asia developed during the late carboniferous / early permian era, due to colliding tectonic plates that would form the continent of pangaea.
- thepangolino 8y agoAn interesting fact is that the Cambiran was one of the most prosperous periods for biodiversity on Earth. Yet, global warming opponents would want you to believe the higher temperatures of that time period are actually a bad thing.
- exegete 8y agoI don't think "opponents of global warming" are concerned about the higher temperatures of that time period.
- thepangolino 8y agoWhat I never understood is why suddenly higher temperatures are such a disaster while all evidence points to a warmer climate being a good thing for the biosphere.
- maxxxxx 8y agoI hope you aren't just trying to be cute but here is what I think: They are a disaster because we have found some equilibrium with the current state. When temperatures change there will probably have to be mass migrations of people from areas that became inhabitable to places that became habitable. I believe in the long run we'll be fine but in the short run you will see a lot of conflict and war to fight for resources. This won't be pleasant.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- ams6110 8y ago> you will see a lot of conflict and war to fight for resources. This won't be pleasant. So in other words, like all of human history?
- brazzledazzle 8y agoThey’re a disaster when you consider the human suffering and impact on the biodiversity of the species currently living. It doesn’t matter if biodiversity ends up great over the next millennia if large portions (or all) of humanity die off and suffer during an adjustment period. People are concerned about the earth and environment but they’re also worried about humans because they’re humans too. You’ve built a straw man and can’t understand why it burns so brightly.
- ximeng 8y agohttps://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3cswmqx https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3cswmqx - More here from 07:40. Amazing stuff
- 4FNET7 8y agoI'm impressed by the jellyfish fossil.
- ncmncm 8y agoI'm amazed at how recognizable so many of these critters are, half a billion years on.