Fish fossil clue to origin of sex (with video!)

[TechBear_Seattle]

I wonder if I can find a Christian fish with prominent genitalia....

Fish fossil clue to origin of sex

A fossil fish from Australia was one of the earliest known vertebrates to reproduce by fertilising eggs inside the female, a study suggests.

Nature journal says the ancient fish was carrying a 5cm-long embryo.

The fertilisation of eggs by sperm outside the mother's body - external fertilisation - is thought to have evolved before copulation.

The fossil suggests the fertilisation of eggs inside the female's body evolved sooner than previously thought.

"These (fish) show some of the earliest evidence for internal reproduction," Zerina Johanson, curator of fossil fish at London's Natural History Museum (NHM), told BBC News.

The article and accompanying video can be found at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7909984.stm

[Teaser]

1. so hot

.

[xchrom]

2. whee!

:bounce: