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Health & Science21h 26m ago

New research published in the journal Science challenges the conventional assumption that the earliest water animals transitioning to land had amphibious tadpole features, instead presenting evidence of direct development in juvenile embolomere fossils.

Mazon Creek fossil beds, northern Illinois

Who
Scientists, Jason Pardo, Arjan Mann, John Long, Jason Anderson
What
New research published in the journal Science challenges the conventional assumption that the earliest water animals transitioning to land had amphibious tadpole features, instead presenting evidence of direct development in juvenile embolomere fossils.
When
Thu, 18 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT · 21h 26m ago
Where
Mazon Creek fossil beds, northern Illinois ·
Why
To fill knowledge gaps on the development of creatures that gave rise to the first land-dwelling vertebrates and to challenge the 150-year-old assumption of an amphibian-like metamorphosis in early tetrapods.
The Frontline Impact

How this affects you

This research revises the understanding of early tetrapod evolution, indicating that the amphibian-like metamorphosis was not part of the history of the first land-dwelling vertebrates. It highlights the power of fossils to address long-standing evolutionary questions.

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