A Missing Link...

No, it's not a story about the origins of our president.. something way better. The New York Times is reporting that scientists have found the fossil remains of a 375 million year old fish. Ok, you say, they find fossils all the time. Here's what's special about this one:

"In two reports today in the journal Nature, a team of scientists led by Neil H. Shubin of the University of Chicago say they have uncovered several well-preserved skeletons of the fossil fish in sediments of former streambeds in the Canadian Arctic, 600 miles from the North Pole.

The skeletons have the fins, scales and other attributes of a giant fish, four to nine feet long. But on closer examination, the scientists found telling anatomical traits of a transitional creature, a fish that is still a fish but has changes that anticipate the emergence of land animals — and is thus a predecessor of amphibians, reptiles and dinosaurs, mammals and eventually humans.

In the fishes' forward fins, the scientists found evidence of limbs in the making. There are the beginnings of digits, proto-wrists, elbows and shoulders. The fish also had a flat skull resembling a crocodile's, a neck, ribs and other parts that were similar to four-legged land animals known as tetrapods."

Here's the best part (for me, anyways):

"Other scientists said that in addition to confirming elements of a major transition in evolution, the fossils were a powerful rebuttal to religious creationists, who have long argued that the absence of such transitional creatures are a serious weakness in Darwin's theory."

Now, as far as transitional fossils, we already have archaeopteryx, a bird-like creature with reptilian features. Since that doesn't fit in with the creation scientist's viewpoint, it has been dismissed by creationists. How many more transitional fossils will it take? Have a look at that creation science link to get an idea of the stunning lack of logic and critical thinking we're dealing with. And then remember that this mindset is dicatating much of American policy right now. Scared yet?

As a side note, I want to make clear that snarkiness aside, I do find great value in this discovery, not just as another stick in the eye of the creationists, but as an important discovery in the realms of understanding the origins of life here on our planet. I am in awe of it. And the fish thing looks really cool, too. Nothing I'd want to get chased by while mountain biking down by the river.