Fish fossils rewrite evolutionary history

Repositories in Chongqing and Guizhou give insight into human development

Chinese paleologists have discovered two fossil repositories in southwestern Chongqing municipality and Guizhou province whose strata date back to the Silurian Period that began around 440 million years ago. The two sites have yielded crucial discoveries that could rewrite the evolutionary story of how humans evolved from fish.

According to four articles published in the journal Nature on Wednesday, Chinese researchers reported finding fish fossils that provided the "missing link" about the origin of the jaw, a key trait that gave rise to 99.8 percent of all vertebrate species living on Earth today, from giant whales to humans.

It is the first time for China to publish this many studies by one research team in a single issue of the prestigious journal, which stands as a testament to the importance of the findings and for China's global recognition as a powerhouse in paleontology, experts said.