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Four-legged Snake Fossil Stuns Scientists, Ignites Controversy

Posted by Soulskill on from the i-have-had-it-with-these-multi-legged-snakes-on-this-multi-legged-plane dept.

sciencehabit writes: Scientists have described what they say is the first known fossil of a four-legged snake. The limbs of the 120-or-so-million-year-old, 20-centimeter-long creature are remarkably well preserved and end with five slender digits that appear to have been functional (abstract). Thought to have come from Brazil, the fossil would be one of the earliest snakes found, suggesting that the group evolved from terrestrial precursors in Gondwana, the southern remnant of the supercontinent Pangaea. But although the creature's overall body plan—and indeed, many of its individual anatomical features—is snakelike, some researchers aren't so sure that it is a part of the snake family tree.

11 of 153 comments (clear)

  1. Genesis! by Geoffrey.landis · · Score: 4, Funny

    The biblical literalists are going to love this one.

    --
    http://www.geoffreylandis.com
    1. Re:Genesis! by ilguido · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I don't see any reason why this is "stunning" or a big controversy. It's just a new fossil and they'll argue a bit on where it goes into the taxonomy tree... happens all the time.

      The fact is that, as always, those who found it are basically screaming "sensational discovery, mystery XYZ is finally solved", while other scientist are more cautious. It's the old theme of "sensationalism versus business as usual", dangerously close to the stance of attention whores.

      Having read the article, I think it's more likely that those weak limbs were used for tree climbing than for grabbing preys and probably this is not a snake but a specimen from some extinct group.

    2. Re:Genesis! by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Religion is nothing but the easy way out.

      The opposite of "knowing" is not "not knowing". That can easily be remedied. If you do not know, you ask someone who does know, and then you know too. The opposite of knowing is believing. And believing is far more comfortable and convenient, and far less taxing than knowing.

      If I want to believe something, that's easily done. All it takes is a unilateral declaration of intent. Jesus the only son of God and my saviour? I believe. There, done. There is no huge investment of time and intellect necessary. A teapot in the middle of Jupiter? Sure, I believe. And done. I neither need someone showing me the ropes, nor do I need to spend any time or energy to do it.

      Knowing is far more taxing. To know something, you not only have to find someone who does already know to teach you, you also have to invest time and energy to understand. Understanding is one hugely important, critical prerequisite for knowing. And that takes time. And effort. And depending on your mental capabilities or prerequisite fundamental knowledge that effort may even prove futile.

      Believing is far more convenient. It only depends on you wanting. Knowing something also requires you to be able to and the investment of time.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  2. 4 Legged Snake by StrangeBrew · · Score: 4, Funny

    The snake also recently stated that POW's are exempt from War Hero status.

    1. Re: 4 Legged Snake by Fire_Wraith · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Heroism takes many forms.

      McCain was the son of a high ranking Admiral, and a potentially valuable political pawn for the North Vietnamese. They offered him all sorts of inducements, nice treatment, etc, if he'd make statements for them. He refused, and they tortured him instead, to the point that he can't even raise his arms above his shoulders today.

      They offered to release him early, ahead of his fellow prisoners, and he refused, insisting that all previous prisoners be released first (according to military rules), even though that meant he'd be enduring more of that hellhole.

      Heroism isn't just about standing up with a machine gun on each arm and shooting up the enemy single-handedly.

    2. Re: 4 Legged Snake by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Concur. Can't fucking stand the guy's politics, but I respect the guy's strength here. Yes, others in his position of less status might have been outright killed, and maybe we wouldn't have known about their bravery, but heroism isn't about putting some men above others - it's about seeing the evidenced behaviour of some men and using that behaviour as an example to follow.

  3. "Ignites Controversy" . . . ? by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 5, Funny

    So it could breathe fire, as well? It sounds like they have not found a snake, but a fire-breathing dragon!

    --
    Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
  4. It's the missing slink! by rgbatduke · · Score: 4, Funny

    Sorry, I had to do that one.

    --
    Even when the experts all agree, they may well be mistaken. --- Bertrand Russell.
  5. Nor the first mission [Re: 4 Legged Snake] by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    I agree, you can be a war veteran and a prisoner of war but you can not be a war 'hero' if all you did was sit in jail... and this is what John McCain ddid for almost the whole war.

    Uh, you are aware that he did do other things in the war, right? Sitting in jail (by which you mean, POW camp) is not "all" he did. It was his 23rd bombing mission, not his first, on which he was shot down. And that by this time he'd been awarded the Navy Commendation Medal and the Bronze Star.

    I'm no fan of McCain, but I don't like personal attacks. Criticize him for his politics, not his history.

  6. Re:I stopped reading at by SuricouRaven · · Score: 4, Informative

    Carbon dating is useless on fossils. Firstly because they are far too old for the ratio to be measurable, and secondly because they don't actually contain any carbon of atmospheric origin to date.

    There are other forms of dating used for fossils though.

  7. Re:I stopped reading at by SuricouRaven · · Score: 3, Interesting

    According to a paper which failed peer review.