Fossils of a Pre-Historic One-Tonne Rodent Discovered

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the discovery of a newly-identified prehistoric rodent species, noted for its size and comparison to modern rodents. Participants share thoughts on evolution, the significance of paleontological discoveries, and humorous remarks related to the findings.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • One participant notes that the newly-identified species is the largest known member of the order Rodentia, significantly larger than the modern capybara.
  • Some participants express a general appreciation for evolution, suggesting it leads to fascinating discoveries.
  • Another participant reflects on the increasing number of paleontological finds compared to their childhood knowledge of dinosaurs.
  • A humorous remark is made about the existence of large sewers in prehistoric times.
  • Another humorous comment suggests that there must have been an abundance of cheese during that era.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally express a shared interest in the topic and appreciation for evolutionary processes, but there is no formal consensus on any specific scientific claims or interpretations.

Contextual Notes

Some statements reflect personal anecdotes and humor rather than scientific discourse, which may limit the depth of technical discussion.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in paleontology, evolution, and the history of life on Earth may find the discussion engaging.

neutrino
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The newly-identified species is the greatest-known member of the order Rodentia and by comparison makes the biggest rodent alive today, the 60-kilo (132-pound) capybara, look like a pygmy shrew.

...

Measuring a whopping 53 centimetres (21 inches), the skull has massive incisors several centimetres long.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080116/sc_afp/sciencepalaeontologyrodent
 
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Sometimes, I'm sort of glad there is evolution.
 
hypatia said:
Sometimes, I'm sort of glad there is evolution.

:smile:
 
I saw a documentary on that last huge rat they found. Amazing at how much we are finding. When I was little there were only about a dozen known dinosaurs. :wink:
 
My little Bun catches these things all the time. :cool:
 
Evo said:
I saw a documentary on that last huge rat they found. Amazing at how much we are finding. When I was little there were only about a dozen known dinosaurs. :wink:
I'm 2 billion years old. When I was young, scientists said the Earth was formed 2.5 billion years ago. Now they say it's 4.5 billion years ago.
 
They must have had big sewers in them days
 
And cheese. Lots and LOTS of cheese.