{"id":136601,"date":"2024-12-13T15:19:49","date_gmt":"2024-12-13T08:19:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=136601"},"modified":"2024-12-13T15:19:49","modified_gmt":"2024-12-13T08:19:49","slug":"ancient-find-in-aussie-desert-sheds-light-on-130-year-old-european-mystery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=136601","title":{"rendered":"Ancient find in Aussie desert sheds light on 130-year-old European mystery"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>An ancient find in <a data-i13n=\"cpos:1;pos:1\" href=\"https:\/\/au.news.yahoo.com\/outback-neighbours-in-bitter-400000-battle-over-28km-fence-well-be-suing-064839042.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:Australia\u2019s outback;cpos:1;pos:1;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\">Australia\u2019s outback<\/a> has helped shed light on mysterious items that have confounded European experts almost 15,000 km away. \u201cIt&#8217;s been a big puzzle,\u201d paleontologist Dr Carole Burrow told Yahoo News.<\/p>\n<p>She&#8217;s been leading an investigation into a collection of tiny bones dug up 14 years ago in <a data-i13n=\"cpos:2;pos:1\" href=\"https:\/\/au.news.yahoo.com\/qld\/\" data-ylk=\"slk:Queensland;cpos:2;pos:1;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Queensland<\/a>, near the Northern Territory border. Dated at 400 million years old, the fossils belonged to a species of long-extinct fish that thrived in the region\u2019s shallow saltwater environment before <a data-i13n=\"cpos:3;pos:1\" href=\"https:\/\/au.news.yahoo.com\/ancient-discovery-in-aussie-outback-provides-clue-to-development-of-modern-humans-090104271.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:the landscape dried up and turned into a red desert.;cpos:3;pos:1;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\">the landscape dried up and turned into a red desert. <\/a><\/p>\n<p>The only place similar bones have been found is Scotland where remains of the mysterious fish are quite common. But the fossilisation process there has frustratingly resulted in most of the bones being squashed flat, and that\u2019s made it hard for researchers to study them. It has led to wrong conclusions about the fish. Initially, it was thought to be a jawless fish that was found nowhere else in the world.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s different about the Australian fish bones, is that despite being 10 million years older, the fossils have been very well preserved at the Cravens Peak dig site. Burrow, who is an honorary fellow at Queensland Museum, worked with an international team to analyse a tiny fossilised braincase that was preserved as a three-dimensional specimen inside a rock.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Need more stories about fascinating new discoveries? \ud83d\ude33\ud83e\udda4 <\/strong><a data-i13n=\"cpos:4;pos:1\" href=\"https:\/\/preferences.newsletters.yahoo.net\/subscribe\/what_on_earth\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Subscribe to our environment newsletter.;cpos:4;pos:1;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><strong>Subscribe to our environment newsletter.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure\">\n<div class=\"caas-figure-with-pb\" style=\"max-height: 640px\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-lightbox caas-img-loader\" style=\"padding-bottom:67%\" data-lightbox-src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/SgJ._K3fTcdAuZ3oTiHpAg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTI0MDA7aD0xNjAw\/https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/os\/creatr-uploaded-images\/2024-12\/13542c40-b8f0-11ef-bede-103b72890f8d\"><span class=\"caas-img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"caas-img caas-lazy has-preview\" alt=\"Large 3D models of the tiny braincase being held in a hand.\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/3y.xsMsCNiboyQWokOY60A--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA--\/https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/os\/creatr-uploaded-images\/2024-12\/13542c40-b8f0-11ef-bede-103b72890f8d\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Large 3D models of the tiny braincase being held in a hand.\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/3y.xsMsCNiboyQWokOY60A--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA--\/https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/os\/creatr-uploaded-images\/2024-12\/13542c40-b8f0-11ef-bede-103b72890f8d\" class=\"caas-img\"\/><button class=\"link caas-lightbox\" aria-label=\"View larger image\" data-ylk=\"sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;elm:expand;itc:1\"><span class=\"openArrows icon\"><svg width=\"22\" height=\"22\" viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\"><path d=\"M12.372 0.92C12.372 0.414 12.782 0.004 13.287 0.004L21 0L20.996 7.712C20.996 8.217 20.586 8.628 20.08 8.628C19.574 8.628 19.164 8.217 19.164 7.712V3.183L12.337 10.011L10.988 8.663L17.816 1.835H13.287C12.782 1.835 12.372 1.425 12.372 0.92ZM1.835 17.816L8.663 10.988L10.012 12.337L3.183 19.164H7.712C8.218 19.164 8.627 19.574 8.627 20.08C8.627 20.586 8.218 20.995 7.712 20.995L0 21L0.004 13.287C0.004 12.782 0.414 12.372 0.92 12.372C1.425 12.372 1.835 12.782 1.835 13.287V17.816Z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"caption-collapse\">Large 3D models of the tiny braincase were created from the Central Australian find. Source: Carole Burrow<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>While it&#8217;s similar to the Scottish fish, the researchers determined the bones belonged to a new species of jawed vertebrate, likely a distant relative of sharks. Their findings about the fossils were published in the journal <a data-i13n=\"cpos:5;pos:1\" href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/nsr\/advance-article\/doi\/10.1093\/nsr\/nwae444\/7915995\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:National Science Review.;cpos:5;pos:1;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">National Science Review<em>.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;With radically different interpretations of its structure, it has been assigned to almost all major jawless and jawed vertebrate groups,&#8221; the paper says of the Scottish species. It then highlights new analysis of how its eye sockets and jaw likely evolved, helping to build a picture of its appearance.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"caas-jump-link-heading\" id=\"paleontologists-mystified-by-elusive-fish-for-140-years\">Paleontologists mystified by elusive fish for 140 years<\/h2>\n<p>Named palaeospondylus australis, the Queensland find marks the first time the genus has been found outside Scotland. It&#8217;s there that the closely related palaeospondylus gunni<em>\u00a0<\/em>was discovered in 1890, mystifying researchers because of its unique skeletal features and uncertain classification.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are thousands of specimens of the Scottish species around the world in museums, but because all the bits of the fish have melded into each other you can\u2019t work out which are the separate bits. It\u2019s hard to know which bit is the neurocranium, the braincase, or the jaws,\u201d Burrow said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure\">\n<div class=\"caas-figure-with-pb\" style=\"max-height: 640px\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-lightbox caas-img-loader\" style=\"padding-bottom:67%\" data-lightbox-src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/tDDReEksM_iZleiBmYSqlw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTI0MDA7aD0xNjAw\/https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/os\/creatr-uploaded-images\/2024-12\/04682d20-b8f1-11ef-97ff-18c0265832f4\"><span class=\"caas-img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"caas-img caas-lazy has-preview\" alt=\"The fossilised braincase next to a ruler. \" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/6MVS.YU5_RIIwu_CD.S0.A--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA--\/https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/os\/creatr-uploaded-images\/2024-12\/04682d20-b8f1-11ef-97ff-18c0265832f4\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The fossilised braincase next to a ruler. \" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/6MVS.YU5_RIIwu_CD.S0.A--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA--\/https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/os\/creatr-uploaded-images\/2024-12\/04682d20-b8f1-11ef-97ff-18c0265832f4\" class=\"caas-img\"\/><button class=\"link caas-lightbox\" aria-label=\"View larger image\" data-ylk=\"sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;elm:expand;itc:1\"><span class=\"openArrows icon\"><svg width=\"22\" height=\"22\" viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\"><path d=\"M12.372 0.92C12.372 0.414 12.782 0.004 13.287 0.004L21 0L20.996 7.712C20.996 8.217 20.586 8.628 20.08 8.628C19.574 8.628 19.164 8.217 19.164 7.712V3.183L12.337 10.011L10.988 8.663L17.816 1.835H13.287C12.782 1.835 12.372 1.425 12.372 0.92ZM1.835 17.816L8.663 10.988L10.012 12.337L3.183 19.164H7.712C8.218 19.164 8.627 19.574 8.627 20.08C8.627 20.586 8.218 20.995 7.712 20.995L0 21L0.004 13.287C0.004 12.782 0.414 12.372 0.92 12.372C1.425 12.372 1.835 12.782 1.835 13.287V17.816Z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"caption-collapse\">What\u2019s remarkable about the brain case is that it wasn&#8217;t crushed like the Scottish fossils. Source: Queensland Museum<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>\u201cPeople have been speculating for the last 130 years about what it might be. And it&#8217;s been a puzzle for people ever since it was first described.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"caas-jump-link-heading\" id=\"why-is-the-fish-only-in-scotland-and-queensland\">Why is the fish only in Scotland and Queensland?<\/h2>\n<p>The reason Palaeospondylus<em>\u00a0<\/em>remains are only found in Scotland and Australia is likely simple. The fish could have been widespread around the world, but the conditions weren\u2019t right to fossilise the tiny bones anywhere else.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt&#8217;s unlikely to have been preserved in anything other than really specialised environments \u2014 totally different environments as it turns out,\u201d Bowen said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause in Scotland, it&#8217;s supposed to have been found in a freshwater deposit \u2014 but it must have had a marine connection at times. And in Queensland, it&#8217;s marine.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"caas-jump-link-heading\" id=\"what-did-the-fish-look-like\">What did the fish look like?<\/h2>\n<p>Although researchers know the bones are from two similar species, little is known about how the fish looked. One key reason is that its a paedomorphic fish, meaning it\u2019s kept a lot of juvenile or even larval characteristics into its later life.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure\">\n<div class=\"caas-figure-with-pb\" style=\"max-height: 647px\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-lightbox caas-img-loader\" style=\"padding-bottom:67%\" data-lightbox-src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/6FOvSYhz0_4ab6QwzLLaPQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTI0MDA7aD0xNjE4\/https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/os\/creatr-uploaded-images\/2024-12\/3a03a040-b8f1-11ef-adee-1d325968b587\"><span class=\"caas-img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"caas-img caas-lazy has-preview\" alt=\"A fossil of Palaeospondylus gunni.\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/s8WYjfA6.DVwN8aikW6jXA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0Nw--\/https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/os\/creatr-uploaded-images\/2024-12\/3a03a040-b8f1-11ef-adee-1d325968b587\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A fossil of Palaeospondylus gunni.\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/s8WYjfA6.DVwN8aikW6jXA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0Nw--\/https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/os\/creatr-uploaded-images\/2024-12\/3a03a040-b8f1-11ef-adee-1d325968b587\" class=\"caas-img\"\/><button class=\"link caas-lightbox\" aria-label=\"View larger image\" data-ylk=\"sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;elm:expand;itc:1\"><span class=\"openArrows icon\"><svg width=\"22\" height=\"22\" viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\"><path d=\"M12.372 0.92C12.372 0.414 12.782 0.004 13.287 0.004L21 0L20.996 7.712C20.996 8.217 20.586 8.628 20.08 8.628C19.574 8.628 19.164 8.217 19.164 7.712V3.183L12.337 10.011L10.988 8.663L17.816 1.835H13.287C12.782 1.835 12.372 1.425 12.372 0.92ZM1.835 17.816L8.663 10.988L10.012 12.337L3.183 19.164H7.712C8.218 19.164 8.627 19.574 8.627 20.08C8.627 20.586 8.218 20.995 7.712 20.995L0 21L0.004 13.287C0.004 12.782 0.414 12.372 0.92 12.372C1.425 12.372 1.835 12.782 1.835 13.287V17.816Z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"caption-collapse\">Specimens of Palaeospondylus gunni were frustratingly squashed flat. Source: Queensland Museum<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>\u201cIt doesn\u2019t have any dermal armour, it doesn\u2019t have scales, it doesn\u2019t have bones on the outside \u2014 there\u2019s only the endoskeleton of the fish,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo it\u2019s still a mystery fish.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Love Australia&#8217;s weird and wonderful environment? \ud83d\udc0a\ud83e\udd98\ud83d\ude33 Get our <\/strong><a data-i13n=\"cpos:9;pos:1\" href=\"https:\/\/subscription.yahoo.net\/Newsletter\/Preference\/sub?b=whatonearth\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:new newsletter;cpos:9;pos:1;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><strong>new newsletter<\/strong><\/a><strong> showcasing the week\u2019s best stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure\">\n<div class=\"caas-figure-with-pb\" style=\"max-height: 188px\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-lightbox caas-img-loader\" style=\"padding-bottom:20%\" data-lightbox-src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/UwNw_00h9g4vtVn32WjXlw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTI0MDA7aD00Njg-\/https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/os\/creatr-uploaded-images\/2024-01\/817e7d50-aabf-11ee-a6b3-7e03b2d94624\"><a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/preferences.newsletters.yahoo.net\/subscribe\/what_on_earth\" data-ylk=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"caas-img caas-lazy\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/g4LIeSCVTpKHTbt5BW72QA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTE4OA--\/https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/os\/creatr-uploaded-images\/2024-01\/817e7d50-aabf-11ee-a6b3-7e03b2d94624\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/g4LIeSCVTpKHTbt5BW72QA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTE4OA--\/https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/os\/creatr-uploaded-images\/2024-01\/817e7d50-aabf-11ee-a6b3-7e03b2d94624\" class=\"caas-img\"\/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/au.news.yahoo.com\/ancient-find-in-aussie-desert-sheds-light-on-130-year-old-european-mystery-024344220.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An ancient find in Australia\u2019s outback has helped shed light on mysterious items that have confounded European experts almost 15,000 km away. \u201cIt&#8217;s been a big puzzle,\u201d paleontologist Dr Carole &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=136601\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8628],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-136601","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-science","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136601","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=136601"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136601\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=136601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=136601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=136601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}