Posted on 05/03/2011 9:41:13 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
Almost 50 million years ago, ants the size of hummingbirds roamed what is now Wyoming, a new fossil discovery reveals. These giant bugs may have crossed an Arctic land bridge between Europe and North America during a particularly warm period in Earth's history.
At about 2 inches (5 cm) long, the specimen is a "monstrously big ant," said Bruce Archibald, a paleoentomologist at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia who reported the discovery today (May 3) in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Though fossils of loose giant ant wings have been found before in the United States, this is the first known full-body specimen.
The fossil ant is from a well-known fossil site in Wyoming called the Green River Formation, but it had been sitting in a drawer at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Archibald said. When a curator showed him the fossil, Archibald said, he knew he was looking at something exciting. ..
"I immediately recognized it and said, 'Oh my god, this is a giant ant and it looks like it's related to giant ants that are known from about this time in Germany.'"
...
Monster ant
Archibald dubbed the new ant Titanomyrma lubei -- "titan" for its size, "myrma" for the Greek, "myrmex," or ant, and "lubei" for the fossil collector who discovered the specimen, Louis Lube. ..
Ants are tough bugs -- some can even create rafts out of their own bodies to survive floods. But a look at modern large ants showed Archibald and his colleagues that T. lubei very likely needed a warm climate to live, similar to modern-day giant ants. ..
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
He’s got too many legs to be a spider! By my count, that ugly sucker has ten legs!
(shudder)
Not the point. This thread is not about creation or religious beliefs. It is about old bugs. Semms like every science thread or subject some bible thumper always shows up to tell us about the great flood and the ark or some other biblical fable. If thats what you believe thats fine with me but why try and hijack a discussion among those who may not have those views?
Yet, because of those beliefs, one way or the other, there could be said to be ‘incorrect information’ presented in the article.
As an aside, you should thank those bible thumper you so obviously despise. That faith, the Judeo-Christian morals and foundation is what this great country was founded on.
Well my definition of hell is being stuck in a room full of evangelicals for eternity.
The truth about the big ant’s origin and demise are unimportant to the thread?
You mean your biblical theory?
Just as “proveable” as the one you assume.
You won't have to worry about it. And, you know, that's exactly what CS Lewis proposed in "Mere Christianity" - that for someone who rejects God, being "forced into His presence" for all eternity would BE hell.
Be happy you won't have to suffer that.
I agree.
While I do pray you change that definition, you are welcome to your view, though, you will find that hell is just a bit worse.
The sad thing is, you’ll have plenty of time to reflect on how many ‘hellish evangelicals’ tried to open your eyes that your only hope of salvation FROM hell is Jesus.
Have a ‘nice’ eternity.
LOL I have a problem with spiders too. But as the page explains it’s not a spider and those front “legs” aren’t legs. They are actually mouth parts called pedipalps.
Considering how many serious scientists have been zotted that might be a valid statement.
This would track with the highter oxygen levels in the earlier atmosphere.
Insects could grow larger without circulatory systems because a more oxygen rich environment could permiate deeper into the insect body.
Yet there is eastforker - he has his view of this. I’d not advocate zotting him. Yet, his reaction - derisive name-calling, is not the way to go either.
Creationism and Christianity/Judaism are not anti-science. Some scientists say, within their sphere of study that the earth is millions of years old. I’d say different, but there ya go. As I do not ridicule these scientists for their view, neither should I be for mine.
We’re all looking at the same evidence, but interpreting it through our assumptions. Creationists all recognize this fact. Egos won’t even recognize that they HAVE presuppositions.
Kevmo petitioned heavily at one time for closed and moderated science threads but it never went anywhere.
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