Paging Rep. Hays …

A certain Florida Representative liked to claim over and over again this past legislative session that there are no transitional fossils. Of course, I think Rep. Hays has a cartoon version of evolution in his head, but regardless, here’s the newest transitional fossil discovered should Rep. Hays care to do some educational reading.

The description of an ancient amphibian that millions of years ago swam in quiet pools and caught mayflies on the surrounding land in Texas has set to rest one of the greatest current controversies in vertebrate evolution. The discovery was made by a research team led by scientists at the University of Calgary.

The examination and detailed description of the fossil, Gerobatrachus hottoni (meaning Hotton’s elder frog), proves the previously disputed fact that some modern amphibians, frogs and salamanders evolved from one ancient amphibian group called temnospondyls.

“The dispute arose because of a lack of transitional forms. This fossil seals the gap,” says Jason Anderson, assistant professor, University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and lead scientist in the study.

About Brandon Haught

Communications Director for Florida Citizens for Science.
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37 Responses to Paging Rep. Hays …

  1. Mike O'Risal says:

    Let the Creationist hand-waving begin!

    Countdown to “It’s a hoax” or “It’s just a salamander” in 3… 2… 1…

    What they’ll miss, of course, is the important fact that this species arose at most 85 million years after Tiktaalik and nothing like has been found that is older than the fish-to-tetrapod transition. It falls in the amphibian line precisely where it was predicted to exist:

    “It’s a missing link that falls right between where the fossil record of the extinct form and the fossil record for the modern form begins,” said Jason Anderson of the University of Calgary, who led the study.

    But hey, it’s not like evolutionary theory is predictive or anything.

    Of course, Gerobatrachus does pose one potential problem for evolutionary theory; it seems likely that it was more intelligent than certain members of Florida’s legislature.

  2. S.Scott says:

    Time to move the “goal posts” again.

  3. Green Earth says:

    What’s that sound? Oh, it’s trolls emerging from underneath their bridges…

  4. Spirula says:

    Great. Two more gaps to deal with.

    /snark/

  5. Guest says:

    Hey Arty,

    Please enlighten me with a creationist explanation. It is a dreary day here in Ohio and I am in need of some enjoyable laughter!
    RAmen!

  6. S.Scott says:

    Yes! I love Arty – he’s my favorite troll. 😉

  7. firemancarl says:

    I have a soft (?!?!) sport for S.Scott, she figured out Arty was a hose job. Now, did you figure out who Arty was? I would like to think PZ Myers is trying to punks us, but that, like religion, is a pipe dream.

    Hey Brandon,

    whens the next alligator wrasslin tourney?

  8. firemancarl says:

    damn, I meant spot!!!

  9. Brandon Haught says:

    Fireman, that wasn’t a tournament. It was a one man show. It was a limited engagement, too. So if you missed the show, you are out of luck.

  10. S.Scott says:

    ” alligator wrasslin ” ????

  11. firemancarl says:

    Brandon,

    I missed the show, but I think that it was filed under comedy, cause we all got a good laugh out of it.

    My dear liebchen S.Scott,

    One of our brethren in green took it upon himself to apprehend one pissed off gator. Well, pissed off after he jumped on it’s back trying to give the gator the peoples elbow.

  12. Arty says:

    Sorry I was out snooping around. Just got back here in the cave. Time to wake up I guess. Oh I see someone found my lunch in Texas. This is the result of my left over lunch. I usually eat frogs along with salamanders. The bones evidentially were in the same pile when the tide rose and covered them with sediment.
    Come back to me when you find something real. Im not holding my breathe.

  13. S.Scott says:

    FC – So was it like a “Joe Dirt” show?!

    Arty – I’m sorry that the transitional fossil didn’t satisfy your appetite for the TRUTH! 🙂

  14. firemancarl says:

    S.Scott,

    No, some citizens called 911 cause there was a gator near their cars/house. The deputy shows up, throws a towel on the until now peaceful gator, and then said deputy jumps on the gators back. The gator, sensing the deputy should have called for Fish and Game or a trapper, decided that painful physical inculcation is the way to teach our young firebrand a lesson.

  15. firemancarl says:

    Don’t miss next weeks episode, wherein our very own Brandon Haught takes on the all (not really ) powerful Dave Byron in a steel cage match!

  16. donewithsheep says:

    Art:

    You mean you ate half of the frog bones and the *other* half of the salamander bones, and left the remains as a joke? That was a good one (slaps knee and chortles).

    And you were so *precise* about it, too.

  17. S.Scott says:

    The gator, sensing the deputy should have called for Fish and Game or a trapper, decided that painful physical inculcation is the way to teach our young firebrand a lesson.!!!

    Oh my Jeebus! :-0

  18. S.Scott says:

    @dwsheep – nice sleuthing! 🙂

  19. firemancarl says:

    Hmm, I had heard that Arty had just left Hooters mumbling something about chicken tastes just like archeopterex.

  20. Arty says:

    Was that you I saw at Hooters Fire ?

  21. Strawman says:

    Arty your taking over my job.

  22. Captdave says:

    O.K. I figured that B. was trying to keep this quiet, so I minded my own business. Now, before the rumors get too out of hand and more humiliating than the facts are – here’s a link to the true story. There’s a few good comments too.

    Brandon’s Sometimes Embarrassing Day Job having to provide cover for, well, I won’t say it.

  23. Captdave says:

    The scariest part to me is, where the missed shots wound up.

  24. Brandon Haught says:

    Yeah, the readers’ comments are usually more entertaining than the story could ever be. Given this particularly wacky story, that’s something.

  25. firemancarl says:

    Why yes Arty, I was surrounded by many warm and buxom you ladies. Something about firefighters carrying large diameter hose. No, for reals! My engine carries 1000 ft of 5inch LDH!

  26. firemancarl says:

    damn it! I mean young! not you!!!!

  27. firemancarl says:

    The scariest part to me is, where the missed shots wound up.

    You think thats bad? You should try being at the Volusia County Fire Training facility. It’s right next to their gun range, and we here multiple “pop-pop-pop” and then finally, a single solitary ping!.

    Just giving my brethren in green some static, no harm meant.

  28. Captdave says:

    fireman:

    You don’t park the engine nearby the range, I hope! What’s the ‘H’ stand for in LDH – holes ?¿?

    😆

  29. Brandon Haught says:

    Ahem, fireman, you work for county fire? If so, gotta contract yet?

  30. firemancarl says:

    Ahem, fireman, you work for county fire? If so, gotta contract yet?

    Goin there eh? Welp, as the IAFF L-3574 Dist II Vice Pres., I can tell you, no. That being said, we’ll have to show you guys how to go through impasse. The Pres. of the S.O. union told us he wished he would have talked to us first. All I can tell you is this, our going to impasse will be a huge victory for us in the long run. Mark my words.

  31. firemancarl says:

    fireman:

    You don’t park the engine nearby the range, I hope! What’s the ‘H’ stand for in LDH – holes ?¿?

    Our Sta 15 is there next to the range! YIKES!!!.

    The H satnds for Hose.

  32. S.Scott says:

    Another article about the Expelled lawsuit.

  33. Captdave says:

    Thanks for that Stace, this is the first time I ever liked Oko. I think those smart azzes gonna be sorry they messed with her – you go!

  34. Captdave says:

    fireman:

    Finally I see why, when chopping off a troll at the knees, you always make the very best

    ZIIIIINNNGGGGG!!!!!!!s

    They’re ingrained from ducking and covering half the day at work.

    I just can’t get serious these days. When does the Legislature go back in session, anyhow?¿

  35. MaryB says:

    I think this Fall we should plan to email Rep Hays (and his staff who actually might read the stuff) “A Transitional Fossil a Day”. That could go on for quite a while!

  36. S.Scott says:

    I LOVE that idea Mary! 🙂

  37. donewithsheep says:

    “TFAD” sounds like a good idea. But to really get rid of these guys, you have to rip the mask off ID. The way to say it is something like this:

    “Intelligent design” creationism hasn’t got anything more to offer than (lame and discredited) criticisms of evolution, so the whole “academic freedom” guise is a way to sneak it into the classroom without passing anything resembling scientific muster. It doesn’t make positive predictions, it doesn’t open up any new avenues for research and it can’t explain evidence nearly as well as evolution can.

    Its proponents aren’t really interested in exploring a scientific controversy at all. They don’t really care about whether or not evolution is the better scientific explanation of our origins. What they care about it is getting rid of what they think is an obstacle to them indoctrinating our kids, although they don’t think of it that way. They think evolution stands in the way of them “saving the children” and anything that helps with that is AOK with the Big Guy Upstairs. They see a larger mission and don’t see anything wrong with lying for Jesus. But they’re very blind.

    In a free society they have every right to disregard and ignore the central organizing principle of modern biology. They have every right to not want to take advantage of the medical advances that come directly from biology and indirectly from the study of evolution. The same way we let some parents call in a faith healer instead of a doctor when their children are sick, they have that same right.

    But they don’t have the right to make the rest of us go along with them. When it comes time for our children to go to college, if they had a biology class taught by a creationist who ignores evolution (and whose job is protected by “academic freedom” bills even if they refuse to teach to the state standards), they will be eclipsed by students from high schools where science class *means* science class and not creationism on the sly.

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