考古新发现：人类的祖先是老鼠
<p>我们都知道，人类是从猿猴进化而来的，那么猿猴又是从什么进化而来的呢？数百年来，科学家也一直在探索这个命题。近日，英国古生物学家从侏罗纪海岸的古老岩层中发现了远古生物的牙齿，经鉴定，这些牙齿来自人类的祖先——白垩纪早期哺乳动物，而且这种动物很有可能是住在地洞里的小老鼠。</p><p><span word="As">As</span> <span word="ancestors">ancestors</span> <span word="go">go</span>, <span word="it">it</span> <span word="might">might</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="look">look</span> <span word="particularly">particularly</span> <span word="distinguished">distinguished</span>, <span word="but">but</span> <span word="this">this</span> <span word="toothy">toothy</span> <span word="rat">rat</span>-<span word="like">like</span> <span word="creature">creature</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="forefather">forefather</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="us">us</span> <span word="all">all</span>. <span word="Remains">Remains</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="little">little</span> <span word="nocturnal">nocturnal</span> <span word="mammal">mammal</span>, <span word="which">which</span> <span word="lived">lived</span> 145 <span word="million">million</span> <span word="years">years</span> <span word="ago">ago</span>, <span word="were">were</span> <span word="recently">recently</span> <span word="discovered">discovered</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Jurassic">Jurassic</span> <span word="Coast">Coast</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="Dorset">Dorset</span>, <span word="by">by</span> <span word="paleontologists">paleontologists</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="University">University</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="Portsmouth">Portsmouth</span>.</p><p>考古发现，上图这种长相和老鼠类似的啮齿动物是人类的祖先，虽然这位祖先的外貌不是很出众。近日，朴茨茅斯大学的古生物学者们在多赛特郡的侏罗纪海岸发现了这种生活在1.45亿年前的小型夜行哺乳动物的残骸。</p><p><span word="The">The</span> <span word="animal">animal</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="earliest">earliest</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="line">line</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="would">would</span> <span word="eventually">eventually</span> <span word="lead">lead</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="humans">humans</span>, <span word="as">as</span> <span word="well">well</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="branching">branching</span> <span word="off">off</span> <span word="along">along</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="way">way</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="evolve">evolve</span> <span word="into">into</span> <span word="creatures">creatures</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="diverse">diverse</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="Blue">Blue</span> <span word="Whales">Whales</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="Pigmy">Pigmy</span> <span word="Shrews">Shrews</span>.</p><p>这种远古动物最终会进化为人类，而且在演变过程中，还会进化成蓝鲸和鼩鼱等多种不同生物。</p><p><span word="The">The</span> <span word="new">new</span> <span word="species">species</span> <span word="has">has</span> <span word="been">been</span> <span word="named">named</span> ‘<span word="Durlstotherim">Durlstotherim</span> <span word="newmani">newmani</span>’, <span word="after">after</span> <span word="keen">keen</span> <span word="amateur">amateur</span> <span word="paleontologist">paleontologist</span> <span word="Charlie">Charlie</span> <span word="Newman">Newman</span>, 51, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="landlord">landlord</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Square">Square</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="Compass">Compass</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="Worth">Worth</span> <span word="Matravers">Matravers</span> <span word="who">who</span> <span word="founded">founded</span> <span word="his">his</span> <span word="own">own</span> <span word="fossil">fossil</span> <span word="museum">museum</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="pub">pub</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="helped">helped</span> <span word="scientists">scientists</span> <span word="collect">collect</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="new">new</span> <span word="specimens">specimens</span>.</p>
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