425 Million-year-old Fossilized Water Flea Penis
(Click here to view the original thread with full colors/images)Posted by: ultimatejester
A newly-discovered British fossil has been named Colymbosathon ecplecticos, Greek for "amazing swimmer with a large penis". This 5-millimeter-long ancestor of modern water fleas was buried in Herefordshire volcanic ash 425 million years ago that mineralized and preserved all of its soft body parts until the present. These remarkably preserved soft body parts include gills, eyes, swimming limbs - and a penis. This makes him the oldest fossil to bear that gender designation. Earlier fossils of other species show differences attributed to being male and female, but without clearly identifying who was what.
"The whole animal is amazing," noted David Siveter, first author of a paper announcing the find this week in the journal Science. "It is certainly the oldest penis in the world, that's for certain."
Also amazing is the proof that the so-called ostracode group of animals has changed little since the Silurian Period 430 million to 400 million years ago, while most other species underwent significant evolutionary redesign or disappeared altogether. "This specimen shows what nobody has been able to show before - 425 million years of unbelievable stability in an organism," Siveter said. "Most things that lived in the Silurian are long extinct and don't have many living relatives." Modern bivalve scavenger relatives to C. ecplecticos are found in virtually every aquatic environment on Earth, from deep oceans to shallow streams, from crabs and lobsters to more-distantly-related clams and oysters.
Researchers had to destroy the world's oldest penis in order to study it. They used a technique that combining thin-film cutting with computerized data storage. After removing the rock containing the fossil, repeated shavings 20 micrometers thick were cut through the remains. A photograph of each shaving was stored in a computer and later electronically reassembled and eventually combined in cyberspace to create a three-dimensional image of the animal along with its soft parts. The fossil itself, and the amazing organs it contained, is now dust.
Posted by: clocker
Shucks.
When I saw the topic header from the board all it said was 400 million year old fossil and I thought this would be about J'Pol...
Posted by: james_bond_rulez
roflmao :w00t:
Posted by: Everose
425 million years........no change to the species. That is Mind Boggling.
Thanks for sharing this, UJ.
Everose
Posted by: j2k4
When you gonna get your AV working, 'Rose?
Need a shining, happy face.
Something like this- :) , only in chrome!
:D :P :)
Posted by: Everose
Get busy and find me one then!! ;) I lost my host, but titey gave me a link to another one. Just waiting for something to 'fit'. :D
Nice to see you've been posting in the lounge, J2.
I remember one hilarious jaring with you in the lounge............can't remember the topic, but I am sure I got the best of you and left you blushing. :lol: :ph34r:
Something about sinuses or some such thing. Maybe the size of a nose or something......I can't remember, but it was good. ;)
Posted by: titey
Originally posted by Everose@4 December 2003 - 23:28
Get busy and find me one then!! ;) I lost my host, but titey gave me a link to another one. Just waiting for something to 'fit'. :D
:o Oh, I thought you meant you just lost the host an' still had the image on yer hard-drive.
In that case, how bout this one?
http://www.1stjordan.net/orchids/images/blank/rose2.jpg
If'n ya like it, I can resize it to avatar size an' put it on chinkii for you. :)
Posted by: Alex H
Originally posted by clocker@5 December 2003 - 03:50
When I saw the topic header from the board all it said was 400 million year old fossil and I thought this would be about J'Pol...
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Cool article tho
Posted by: ultimatejester
Originally posted by clocker@5 December 2003 - 03:50
Shucks.
When I saw the topic header from the board all it said was 400 million year old fossil and I thought this would be about J'Pol...
:blink: :lol: :lol:
Posted by: j2k4
Originally posted by Everose@5 December 2003 - 01:28
Get busy and find me one then!! ;) I lost my host, but titey gave me a link to another one. Just waiting for something to 'fit'. :D
Nice to see you've been posting in the lounge, J2.
I remember one hilarious jaring with you in the lounge............can't remember the topic, but I am sure I got the best of you and left you blushing. :lol: :ph34r:
Something about sinuses or some such thing. Maybe the size of a nose or something......I can't remember, but it was good. ;)
Yes-
A vague memory is, um....stirring.
I'm sure a search would resurrect the thread.
Are you saying there have been new developments "in the field"?
Posted by: Everose
Are you saying there have been new developments "in the field"?
I am saying that if there were new developments.........and you knew about them....................it would be a struggle to have you update us on them.
What specific word would you suggest to find that thread? You used such big words to hide the fact that we were questioning whether lack of sex caused inflamed nostrils. :D :D :D Maybe 'nostrils' could be used for the search? :D
How about that Titey??? Found a perfect rose for me and set it up. Thanks Titely.....I sure appreciate this!!
Everose
Posted by: Virtualbody1234
Originally posted by ultimatejester@4 December 2003 - 21:14
After removing the rock containing the fossil, repeated shavings 20 micrometers thick were cut through the remains. A photograph of each shaving was stored in a computer and later electronically reassembled and eventually combined in cyberspace to create a three-dimensional image of the animal along with its soft parts. The fossil itself, and the amazing organs it contained, is now dust.
Any chance that we could see that "cyberspace three-dimensional image of the animal along with its soft parts."?
Posted by: blade1356uk
That is not right Peter Stringfellow has the oldest penis,he was a Dick in Sheffield & he is a Dick in London lol