Before the publication of The Origin of Species, speculating on the possibility of life originating naturally had long been a fascination. However, neither Charles Darwin nor the Modern Synthesis theory of evolution nor the Miller–Urey experiment provides any probable clues.
In the letter to J.D. Hooker in March 1863, Darwin privately expressed his disdain for addressing the topic, declaring —
“It is mere rubbish thinking at present of the origin of life.”
Andrew J. Wendruff and Mark V. H. Wilson of the University of Alberta added a new dimension to the ongoing coelacanth saga this week in the paper “A fork-tailed coelacanth, Rebellatrix divaricerca,” published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
In the paper, Wendruff and Wilson present a newly discovered coelacanth species found surprisingly on the rocky slopes of the Canadian Rockies, British Columbia.
The species named Rebellatrix divaricerca means “rebel coelacanth (with a) forked tail.” Far different from today’s Indian Ocean coelacanths, these ancient rebel fast-swimming predators further undermine attempts to develop a cohesive coelacanth evolution saga.
