Fill the world gap!The research from "from fish to people" has made major breakthroughs!

"Global Times" reporter learned from the Institute of Ancient vertebrates and the Ancient Human Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences on September 28 that recently, Academician Zhu Min team found in Chongqing, Guizhou and other places. "Chongqing Special Buried Fossil Library" and "Guizhou Shiji Fossil Library", the two discoveries added two world -class special buried fossils to my country, and also filled the gaps of the early history of the mandibular fossils in the global chronology. For the first time, it provides exact evidence for the rise and earlier radiation differentiation of jaws.

Chongqing Special Buried Fossil Library Fossil Photo Picture Source: Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ancient Human Research Institute

The three -dimensional complexity of the three -dimensional fifth of the five ancient fish in the early days of the Chinese Zhijiu (Lamido World, about 440 million years ago) (from top to the top to Guizhou tooth fish, Fanjingshan fish, Tujia fish, Xiu Shanyu, Shen's spiny fish,) Image source: Institute of Ancient Human Research Institute of Chinese Academy

According to the relevant researchers of the ancient vertebrates and ancient human research institutes of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 99.8%of the existing vertebrates existing on the earth, including humans, have mandibular bones, which are jaw and chin. This type of vertebrate is collectively referred to as jaw vertebrates or jaws. The emergence and rise of jaws are one of the most critical jumps in the history of vertebrate evolution, which is considered to be "from fish to humans". Many important organs and body configurations of humans dates back to the beginning of jaw evolution.

However, this leap is a mystery when it, where, and how it happens, and it requires paleontological evidence to answer. It is understood that the most complete jaw fossils are currently formed in the late Zhiji period of about 425 million years ago, and the origin of the mandibular category inferred by the molecular clock is not as late as 450 million years ago. Therefore, There is a huge gap that has at least 30 million years and spans the entire aspirations in the early evolution process of jaws. Alfred, an ancient vertebrate giant Alfred, once called it "a major gap in the history of paleontology."

The above researchers further pointed out that 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. If you know nothing, you can't even determine whether the sporadic spiny spine and scales found in the Zhi Liquan formation belong to the 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. In the academic circle, the first 30 million years of jaws are called "ghost branches".

According to a reporter from the Global Times, in the past ten years, Academician Zhu Min's team has traveled to more than 200 places that may contain fish in the chronicle of Chinese Zhi Liquan. The "Guizhou Shiji Fossil Library" found a large number of specially storage of the complete chronicle of early fish fossils, and found the key to cracking the mystery of jaws and the mystery of radiation differentiation.

Among them, the era of "Chongqing Special Buried Fossil Library" was about 436 million years ago, which was a special buried fossil in the world. Dawn of fish ". The ancient fish fossils found in the Chongqing Special Buried Fossil Real Estate not only have a large number of 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.

For example, the mandibular turtle fisherbal fishermanfish provides key fossil evidence for the origin of vertebrates to the origin. The ancestor of the helmet's armor evolved. And another kind of miracle fish miracle shows combine the characteristics of multiple shield -skinned fish categories, providing precious information for the origin of the roots of the trees with jaws, and the evolution of vertebrates.

436 million years ago from Chongqing Xiushan 436 million years ago, a smart native fish positive specimen photo and sketch picture Source: Chinese Academy of Sciences The Institute of Ancient Human Research Institute

Creep, Shen's Rate Fish Positive Specifications, Sedication Sketch, and Photographic Reconstruction Picture Source: Chinese Academy of Sciences The Institute of Ancient Humans and Human Research

Miracle Show Mountain Fossil Fossil and Restoration Picture Source: Chinese Academy of Sciences The Institute of Ancient vertebrates and Ancient Human Research

The "Guizhou Shiji Fossil Studio" era was the latest period of Rando Viva (early Chi Liugi's early) Elon period. The "Guizhou Shisu Fossil Library" contains a large number of mandibular micro -fossils. For example, the tooth spin of the double -column Guizhou tooth fish and the spiny spiny spiny of the newly molded Vatican fish, these discoveries also allowed the long -term disputes of the Dust of Optotia, Zhiqi fish scales and spiny fossils to settle.

Double -column Guizhou tooth fish tooth rotation three -dimensional reconstruction, side view of the picture source: Chinese Academy of Sciences and Institute of Ancient Human Research

Plastics Fan Jingshan Fish Film Strip Bone Bone Picture Source: Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ancient Human Research Institute

It is understood that the discovery of "Chongqing Special Buried Fossil Real Estate" and "Guizhou Shiji Fossil Library" showed the appearance of Zhili Jiyu group, especially mandibular in the history of paleontology. Process: At the latest to 440 million years ago, major groups of mandibular categories have been prosperous in South China; in the late period of Zhi Li Ji, more diverse and larger jaw species appeared and began to spread to the world. Land and eventually evolve into a process of human beings. During the research process, Academician Zhu Min's team also applied new technologies and new methods such as high -precision CT, characteristic big data analysis, fluid dynamics simulation and other new technologies to conduct research on the fossils of "Chongqing Special Buried Fossil Library" and "Guizhou Shiji Fossil Library". To the world for the first time, the earliest unknown jaw body structure and anatomical information of the earliest jaw, head, body, and the prototype of the puppet fins traced a lot of anatomical structures related to human beings back to 440 million. The ancient fish of the year ago filled the original aspects of the lack of "from fish to people" evolution, rewritten all aspects of the early evolution of jaw vertebrates, and updated the traditional cognition of the origin and rise of jaws. It further consolidated the evolutionary path of "from fish to people".

According to a reporter from the Global Times, the research results of these batch of jaw origin and the earliest evolution will also be published in the British "Nature" magazine on September 29 with a cover article on September 29.

Source: Global Times-Global Network/Fan Wei Deng Xiaoci

- END -