Freethought & Rationalism Archive

KeithHarwood · 05-09-2002, 05:04 PM

A front page article in The Australian (newspaper) today reports tracks in sandstones from 1,200M years ago. The article talks about animals, but reading between the lines it looks as if all the actual investigators said was that `something' was crawling along.

Anyone got any more info?

MrDarwin · 05-09-2002, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by KeithHarwood:
<strong>A front page article in The Australian (newspaper) today reports tracks in sandstones from 1,200M years ago. The article talks about animals, but reading between the lines it looks as if all the actual investigators said was that `something' was crawling along.

Anyone got any more info?</strong>

Heard an interview on NPR today that I think was the same guy. I didn't get his name and a quick google search didn't turn up anything. Maybe really really old animals, but other (possibly more likely) possibilities are:

1. rocks are mis-dated
2. "fossils" are not really fossils
3. fossils are fossils, but misinterpreted
4. fossils really are of multicellular creatures, showing that such things evolved early on, but then died out and true animals evolved later, from something else entirely

hezekiah jones · 05-09-2002, 05:25 PM

<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1977000/1977935.stm" target="_blank">Oldest Worm Trail Discovered</a>

Dr.GH · 05-09-2002, 05:26 PM

The article appeared in this week's Nature. For some reason I can't pull up the link right now.

[I guess they hit more than one Journal, Science and another photo (reproduced in Nature) from Amer Geo).

[ May 09, 2002: Message edited by: Dr.GH ]</p>

Duvenoy · 05-10-2002, 07:22 AM

I read this one as well.

I think I'll reserve judgement until more information is forthcoming.

If indeed the fossil tracks are of the claimed age, it will be very interesting to see how they change current thought. I also wonder about slightly younger fossil evidence. It would create some fascinating research, I think.

d

05-09-2002, 05:04 PM	#1
KeithHarwood Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Baulkham Hills, New South Wales,Australia Posts: 944	Animals 1,200My ago? A front page article in The Australian (newspaper) today reports tracks in sandstones from 1,200M years ago. The article talks about animals, but reading between the lines it looks as if all the actual investigators said was that `something' was crawling along. Anyone got any more info?

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05-09-2002, 05:25 PM	#3
hezekiah jones Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: WI Posts: 4,357	<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1977000/1977935.stm" target="_blank">Oldest Worm Trail Discovered</a>

05-09-2002, 05:26 PM	#4
Dr.GH Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Dana Point, Ca, USA Posts: 2,115	The article appeared in this week's Nature. For some reason I can't pull up the link right now. [I guess they hit more than one Journal, Science and another photo (reproduced in Nature) from Amer Geo). [ May 09, 2002: Message edited by: Dr.GH ]</p>

05-10-2002, 07:22 AM	#5
Duvenoy Veteran Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Just another hick from the sticks. Posts: 1,108	I read this one as well. I think I'll reserve judgement until more information is forthcoming. If indeed the fossil tracks are of the claimed age, it will be very interesting to see how they change current thought. I also wonder about slightly younger fossil evidence. It would create some fascinating research, I think. d

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