Chinese scientists have made significant breakthroughs in the study of "from fish to people"

The emergence and rise of jaws is one of the most critical jumps in the history of vertebrate evolution from "fish to human". Many important organs and body configurations of humans dates back to the beginning of jaw evolution. However, when, when, where, where, and how does this leap happen? Due to the fossil blank in the early days, these problems have not been answered. A few days ago, the major discovery of Zhu Min's team of ancient vertebrates and ancient human research institutes of the Chinese Academy of Sciences was expected to unveil these mysteries.

Recently, Zhu Min's team discovered the "Chongqing Special Buried Fossil Real Estate" and "Guizhou Shiji Fossil Library" in the early days of Chongqing, Guizhou and other places in Chongqing, Guizhou and other places in my country, adding another world -class special in my country The buried fossil library fills the gap of the early mandibular fossil records of the global retirites. For the first time, it provides exact evidence for the rise and earlier radiation differentiation of jaws.

In the early days of Chinese Chi Liji (Lamido World, about 440 million years ago), the three -dimensional compound regeneration of ancient fish (Guizhou tooth fish, Fanjingshan fish, Tujia fish, Xiu Shanyu, Shen's spiny fish, from top to bottom)

In the world -renowned academic journal "Nature" magazine published four academic papers of the team online on September 28, focusing on the research results of these batch of jaw origin and earliest evolution.

The lack of fossil empirical has made the origin and rise of jaws shrouded in fog

Including humans, 99.8%of the existing vertebrates on the earth have maxillary (upper jaw and lower chin), collectively referred to as jaw vertebrates or jaws.

The emergence and rise of jaws is one of the most critical links in the history of vertebrate evolution from "fish to people". However, because there are relatively complete fossil records until the late Zhijiu (425 million years ago), and the origin of the mandibular category inferred by the molecular clock is not later than the late Optics Period of 450 million years ago. Therefore, Early evolution with jaws has a huge gap that stretches for at least 30 million years and spans the entire aspiration. Alfred, an ancient vertebrate giant Alfred, once called it "a major gap in the history of paleomology."

Zhu Min said: "Because of this blank existence, although we know that jaws have existed in Zhiji, how big they look like, how big, what ecology is, how to evolve with each other, etc. , Or even whether the sporadic spiny spine and scales found in the Chi Liquan strata are jawfish. "

The lack of fossil empirical has made the origin and rise of jaws. One of the most critical jumped in the history of vertebrate evolution has been shrouded in the fog. The first 30 million years of jaws have always been a "ghost branch".

In the past 10 years, Zhu Min's team has traveled to more than 200 places that may contain fish in China ’s Chi -Chi -Chi -Story, and finally found the“ Chongqing Special Buried Fossil Real Estate ”and“ Guizhou Shiji Fossil Library ”in the early strata of Chongqing, as well as Among them, a large number of specially buried complete chronicle of the early fish fossils found the key to cracking the mystery of the initial rise and radiation differentiation of jaws.

Application of new technologies and technologies such as high -precision CT, trait big data analysis, fluid dynamics simulation and other new technologies and new technologies, the team first showed the world to the world's earliest tooth, head, body, and the prototype of even fins. The body structure and anatomical information provides conclusive evidence for answering a series of important scientific issues in the initial stage of "from fish to people", and rewritten all aspects of the early evolution of jaw vertebrates.

The origin of several human body structure traced back to the fossil fish 436 million years ago

Research by team researchers and researchers: The "Guizhou Shijie Fossil Studio" era was the latest period of Elon, the Elon period of Lamidovi (early Chi Li Ji), about 439 million years ago. The era of "Chongqing Special Buried Fossils" was about 436 million years ago.

"The Guizhou Shisu Fossil Library contains a large number of mandibular micro -fossils." Zhu Min said, "Among them, the teeth of the double -column Guizhou tooth fish represent the oldest jaw teeth. I pushed 14 million years before. "

Double -column Guizhou tooth fish tooth rotation (orthopedic) digital recovery, tongue view, specimen length just over 2 mm

The discovery of the fresh -shaped Windshan fish spine thorns showed that as early as the early days of Zhiliji, primitive cartilage fish had evolved into a typical grid spine fish form, and at the same time, it has the historical characteristics of hard bone fish. The above progress also allowed the long -term debate of the classification of Optotia, Zhiliji fish scales and spiny fossils to settle down for a long time.

Trinity Fanjing Mountain Fish 3D Fuxuanyuan

Chongqing Special Buried Fossil Library can be said to be the only specifically buried fossil library in the world in the world that has a full -time mandibular fossil in the early days, which can be called "fish of fish". This is another world -class special buried fossil library found in my country after the Chengjiang Biological Group and the Rehe Biological Group, providing a large number of key evidence for the evolution of life in China and providing a large number of key evidence for the evolution of life.

Chongqing Special Buried Fossil Library Fossil Photos

Zhu Min said: "Its discovery will push 11 million years before the fossil records with mandibular categories, tracing the origin of several human body structure back to 436 million years ago fossil fish."

The ancient fish fossils in Chongqing specially buried fossil library not only have a large number and complete types, but also have a complete and exquisite preservation. We can have a glimpse of the full picture of vertebrates, especially maxillary in the early days of Zhiben.

After further research on these ancient fish fossils, scientific researchers have discovered more.

"For example, the mandibular fisherman's faster tuka fish with the mandibular turtle native fish provides key fossil evidence for vertebrates." sketch

Team member Zhu You'an said, "The creep with jaw Shen is the earliest well -preserved cartilage fish known to date. The miracle -like mountain fish combines the characteristics of multiple shield -skinned fish categories, providing precious information for the origin of the roots of the trees with mandibular life, and the evolution of the skull of vertebrates. "

Cyptication Shen's Rate Fish Positive Specifications, Sedication Sketch and Model Reconstruction

Miracle Show Shanyu 3D Fuyuan

Filled the initial initial link of the "from fish to people" evolution

The discovery of "Chongqing Special Buried Fossil Library" and "Guizhou Shiji Fossil Realcines" first large -scale display of Zhili Ji fish groups, especially mandibular in the history of paleontology, revealed the process of rising in the early days: the most most: the most: the most 440 million years ago, major groups of mandibular categories have been prosperous in South China; in the late period of Zhiliji, more diverse and larger mandibular species appeared and began to spread to the world. Evolution into a process of human beings.

Zhu Min said: "The study of the ancient fish fossils in the two new discovery of the fossil storage dates many anatomical structures related to humans back to the ancient fish 440 million years ago, filling the lack of" from fish to human "evolutionary history. At the beginning of the initial link, the traditional cognition of the origin and rise of jaws was updated, and it further consolidated the evolution path of 'from fish to human'. "

John Lang, former chairman of the International Ancient vertebrate Society and a professor at the University of Flinders, Australia, said: "This is indeed amazing and changing the fossils of the evolution pattern.

It is foreseeable that the "Chongqing Special Buried Fossil Real Estate" and "Guizhou Shiji Fossil Library" will continue to make continuous contributions to solve the mysteries around the origin of jaw.

Sichuan Observation (Source: People's Daily)

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