fishapod

Knee deep in writing my thesis proposal and overdosing on caffeine, I have not had the chance to comment on the new "fishapod" described in this weeks journal Nature. I heard about the discovery on NPR, on the drive home from school, but did not hear the full details nor the full interview with Neil Shubin. Anyway from the new reports, you probably have surmised that a fish with legs was discovered on Ellesmere Island. However, what you should be asking is how does this new fossil differ from Panderichthys and Acanthostega two fish-tetrapod fossils we already know a great deal about. Since, I have not the time nor the energy to divulge the answer. Check out the article yourself. It is pretty cool stuff!


Shubin, Neil H., Daeschler, Edward B., and Jenkins, Farish A., 2006.
The pectoral fin of Tiktaalik roseae and the origin of the tetrapod limb. Nature 440, 764-771.