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This is the oldest embryo ever discovered on Earth, found in Uruguay and Brazil. It is a baby mesosaur, a group of small aquatic reptiles from the early Permian. According to the researchers, it’s the earliest known case of viviparity.
The study — published in the journal Historic Biology by Graciela Piñeiroa, Jorge Ferigolob, Melitta Meneghelc and Michel Laurind, from France’s National Centre for Research — is very important. Until now, scientists didn’t have such an early record of viviparity, which is key to understand the evolution of vertebrates in our planet.
The unborn baby fossil — partially articulated and well-preserved — was discovered inside its mother and it had no recognisable eggshell. This discovery demonstrates that, instead of laying eggs in which the animals develop from the embryo stage, the embryo actually grew up inside the body of the mesosaur mother, eventually leading to live birth.
Mesosaurus were small alligator-like creatures that could go as long as 2 metres in length and probably fed on crustaceans. They lived in the early Permian period, the last of the Paleozoic Era, 299 to 270 million years ago. [CNRS (French)]
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I’m really not sure how this is technology or gadget related. It’s sort of interesting (in a Friend’s Ross type way) but not really valid for Gizmodo surely.
It’s filed under “science,” which we report on a helluvalot. Might I direct your attention to this? http://www.gizmodo.co.uk/about-us/
Half the reason I visit Gizmodo on a daily (near hourly) basis. A good mix of science, gadgetry and humour!
I stand (sit actually) corrected….sorry
No worries!
I mean, when scientists get to talking about the reproductive systems of creatures 270 million years old… we’re supposed to assume it’s just educated guess work, right? I have a hard enough time believing stories about the lives of men 2000 years ago, let alone how a goddamn dinosaur worked.
Emmm no, most theories established in science are based on evidence not guesswork. If any gaps are presented in any theory they are rigorously tested until the gaps are plugged. That’s the nature of empirical science.