"Marine scientists identify lobsters' ancestors" Topic

"Scientists have long believed that lobster-like crustaceans first appeared on planet Earth about 360 million years ago. But FIU marine scientist Heather Bracken-Grissom contends the ancestor of our favorite mealtime decapod actually may have started roaming the planet at least 12 million years earlier.

Using fossil records and DNA testing, a team of international scientists led by Bracken-Grissom has determined the first lobster-like crustacean appeared on planet Earth approximately 372-409 million years ago.

"This is the most complete study of lobsters to date. One hundred and seventy-three species were analyzed, including commercially important species such as Maine lobster, Florida's spiny lobsters and the redswamp crayfish, which Louisiana is famous for," Bracken-Grissom said. "We also included some very rare species, recently discovered in the 1970s, who had never been included in an analysis before. It was interesting to include them because we got to see where they fell in the lobster tree of life."…"

Full article here.
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I like to eat them! (smile).

Amicalement
Armand

I have often wondered if I were transported back 200 million years whether the protein I ate from the local flora and fauna were actually edible, or if there were some "poisonous" amino acids or peptides or sugars or such.
Best to not try.

Don't you remember? :)

We'll have to wait until they discover and analyze the OFM's fossilized bones to get an answer to that.

oy.

I'd love to study lobster.

Steam it & cover in a butter sauce, & I'd study it till only an empty shell was left.

No wonder they are so tasty.

Well aged……..