Worm-like fossil a 'distant cousin' of humans

[Tank]

Worm-like fossil a 'distant cousin' of humans

A tiny worm-like creature that swam the seas half a billion years ago is not exactly the first thing that comes to mind when you think about who you share your genes with.

But according to a newly released analysis of a fossil unearthed in the Canadian Rockies a century ago, the finger-sized creature — known as Pikaia gracilens — is the oldest known member of the chordates — a group containing all animals with a backbone, including humans.

"It's a very, very distant cousin," Jean-Bernard Caron, an assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Toronto and the study's co-author, said in an interview. "We share the same genes...we share some of the basic features."

However, the chance that humans might have evolved from the five-centemetre-long creature is a "long shot," cautioned Caron...

The last sentence needs a bit of clarification. While this fossil is the earliest know chordate there may well be (probably were) others around at the time and at the moment we can't tell if Pikaia was directly in the human ancestor linage or not.

[Crocoduck]

Worm-like fossil a 'distant cousin' of humans

However, the chance that humans might have evolved from the five-centemetre-long creature is a "long shot," cautioned Caron...

But I can see a family resemblance.

[Tank]

LOL!!