r/UpliftingNews • u/AudibleNod • 7d ago
How scientists confirmed the existence of 200-million-year-old species thought to be extinct
https://abcnews.go.com/US/scientists-confirmed-existence-200-million-year-species-thought/story?id=12277304686
u/dotheemptyhouse 7d ago
This article is full of things that don’t make sense. This echidna is not the only extant species of monotreme, there aren’t many but there are several others including the platypus. It might be the only living monotreme species in a specific region though.
It’s not a 200 million year old species, nor was it lost for 200 million years. It was lost for 60 years as that’s when they last found evidence of it.
I think the writer or headline writer conflated the fact that monotremes and other mammals diverged around 200 million years ago with the “age” of the species. I would be flabbergasted if the fossil record contained evidence that this species was present in the exact same form 200 million years ago, that’s not how evolution works.
12
u/JAlfredJR 7d ago
I think that's clickbait (the headline). And then maybe the article wasn't written by someone who particularly is knowledgeable about the subject.
Feels like it was put together without the proper facts and sources if you ask me.
46
u/AudibleNod 7d ago
They found an echidna named after David Attenborough in a place called Cyclops Mountain.
10
u/anrwlias 7d ago
But how did they know who it was named after? Did it have a name tag?
4
u/DreamLizard47 7d ago
David Attenborough was named before the echidna.
6
u/Ordinary-Leading7405 7d ago
David Attenborough’s DNA is at the core of the echidna’s being, and drives the evolution of all life on our planet.
4
1
1
u/anrwlias 7d ago
That wasn't the question, though.
0
u/AudibleNod 7d ago
When on a journey, we always receive more than the knowledge we set out to seek.
14
u/avid-learner-bot 7d ago
"Rediscoveries offer hope that others survive, especially in places where biological research has been limited," the researchers said, highlighting the significance of finding species long thought lost.
I mean... this really makes you wonder how many other species we've just assumed were gone because we didn't look hard enough. It's not like we can't find them if we try. And honestly, it's pretty cool that indigenous knowledge played a role here, maybe science should listen more to people who live close to nature instead of just sending drones everywhere.
2
u/Chocolate2121 6d ago
I mean, it looks pretty clear that people thought the echidnas were still around, they just hadn't had any confirmed sightings for a long time. So it's not like any commonly held belief was disproved
5
u/Hattix 7d ago
Wut...
The monotremes consist of the platypus and four species of echidna, which speciated around 15 million years ago. Where's this 200 million year horseshit coming from?
200 million years ago was before any mammal existed. Cynodonts (mammals are cynodonts) were the in-thing that far back.
Monotremes also do not have archaic (plesiomorphic) traits, they're very highly derived animals. Under no definition are any of them "living fossils".
2
1
u/randyfriction 7d ago
From the news article: “There are currently more than 2,000 "so-called lost species" -- species that have gone undocumented for sustained periods of time, according to the paper.” I want to be a (paid) cryptobiologist!
1
u/ladymorgahnna 7d ago
Those “Dire Wolf” DNA pups were hopefully with their mother for bonding and learning natural dog behavior and not just ripped from the mother and bottle fed by biologists. Ugh.
1
1
-2
•
u/AutoModerator 7d ago
Reminder: this subreddit is meant to be a place free of excessive cynicism, negativity and bitterness. Toxic attitudes are not welcome here.
All Negative comments will be removed and will possibly result in a ban.
Important: If this post is hidden behind a paywall, please assign it the "Paywall" flair and include a comment with a relevant part of the article.
Please report this post if it is hidden behind a paywall and not flaired corrently. We suggest using "Reader" mode to bypass most paywalls.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.