Talk:Transitional fossil: Difference between revisions

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== Article feedback ==

== "By august command" Section ==

How does one add the Feedback tool to an article? That would be very useful and would show us areas that this article can improve. --[[User:Harizotoh9|Harizotoh9]] ([[User talk:Harizotoh9|talk]]) 15:52, 29 September 2012 (UTC)

Added the feedback option. Haven't gotten any yet. --[[User:Harizotoh9|Harizotoh9]] ([[User talk:Harizotoh9|talk]]) 08:52, 15 October 2012 (UTC)

== Reader feedback on Missing links: ==

"Whoever wrote this seems to be confused regarding what constitutes the term "missing link". I was referring to a post-Darwinian use of the term whereby modern humans are directly connected to a specific line of hominid. Though his (her) explanation of Java man is acceptable, and is definitely not missing, the inference that future discoveries will somehow fill in does infer that for now they are indeed missing."

::What It'sare fineyour as it is.thoughts? --[[User:Chiswick ChapHarizotoh9|Chiswick ChapHarizotoh9]] ([[User talk:Chiswick ChapHarizotoh9|talk]]) 1602:3859, 93 MayNovember 2012 (UTC)

:The commenter seem to have missed the references for the term having several meanings. The article has an example of the term used by a modern researcher (Benton) using it for a non-humanoid fossil, the ''Archaeopteryx''. Perhaps we need to make this more clear? [[User:Petter Bøckman|Petter Bøckman]] ([[User talk:Petter Bøckman|talk]]) 08:03, 3 November 2012 (UTC)

== Vestigial organs ==

Should this fit into the article in any way?

::Vestigial organs are common in whales (legs),[25] flightless birds (wings), snakes (pelvis and lung), and numerous structures in humans (the coccyx, plica semilunaris, and appendix).

--[[User:Harizotoh9|Harizotoh9]] ([[User talk:Harizotoh9|talk]]) 21:32, 20 August 2013 (UTC)

== FA status and other improvements ==

What would be needed to bring the article to FA status?

What areas do you think need expanding?

--[[User:Harizotoh9|Harizotoh9]] ([[User talk:Harizotoh9|talk]]) 05:50, 18 March 2014 (UTC)

== Platypus ==

That last IP edit reminded me. A section on the Platypus and other animals like that could be interesting. It would go under "Misunderstandings". --[[User:Harizotoh9|Harizotoh9]] ([[User talk:Harizotoh9|talk]]) 02:38, 24 March 2014 (UTC)

:: Mm, yes. Love the mammal evolving into a duck, or was it the other way round. It will be a controversial section that could create quite a challenge for FA; finding reliable, undisputed sources for it might be .. interesting. [[User:Chiswick Chap|Chiswick Chap]] ([[User talk:Chiswick Chap|talk]]) 07:53, 24 March 2014 (UTC)

== Strange content in "missing link" section ==

I have a preference against quotes being used for section headings. However, I've tried but I can't think of a better title to use for that section. Any suggestions? --[[User:Harizotoh9|Harizotoh9]] ([[User talk:Harizotoh9|talk]]) 16:15, 9 May 2012 (UTC)

:: It's fine as it is. [[User:Chiswick Chap|Chiswick Chap]] ([[User talk:Chiswick Chap|talk]]) 16:38, 9 May 2012 (UTC)

:::The first link? Strange monster? Darwins monster? The bird from Solenhofen? Feathers and teeth? The reptile-bird? [[User:Petter Bøckman|Petter Bøckman]] ([[User talk:Petter Bøckman|talk]]) 17:46, 9 May 2012 (UTC)

::::I like the quote. If it's too whimsical, just "Solenhofen" might do. More explicitly: "Link between birds and reptiles" or "Bird–reptile link" (N.B. that's an ndash). No monsters please! Note that we don't begin section titles with the definite article. --[[User:Stfg|Stfg]] ([[User talk:Stfg|talk]]) 20:49, 9 May 2012 (UTC)

The section "missing link" (in the [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Transitional_fossil&oldid=992508500#Missing_links as-of-writing current revision] does not make sense to me. The sources do support the claim that modern use of the term can be emphasized unduly, or lead to lopsided understanding of human evolution; they does not support a characterization of transitional fossils being a "misconception", or the implication that people looking for transitional fossils were operating under false premises (in fact, just the opposite -- the section details numerous discoveries, like the [[Java Man]], which identified the missing links which had been unknown at the time). I am going to copyedit the section. '''[[User:JPxG|jp]]'''×'''[[User talk:JPxG|g]]''' 01:56, 11 December 2020 (UTC)

==''Tiktaalik'' picture (again)==

The current picture of the "fishapod",File:Fishapods.png, isn't very good. First off, it shows ''Tiktaalik'' as one of a number of critters. The drawings themselves are just line drawings and are not very good (''Acanthostega'' is particularly bad), and ''Tiktaalik'' bends it head in a rather peculiar way. I don't think it could do that in real life (it could tip it's head up, not down). It also illustrate temporal and habitat distribution, rather than the animals themselves. It would be a decent illustration for [[Fishapod]] or [[Evolution of tetrapods]], but I think we should find one better suited for this article. [[User:Petter Bøckman|Petter Bøckman]] ([[User talk:Petter Bøckman|talk]]) 08:17, 17 May 2012 (UTC)

:: We are free to revert to the image of the reconstruction of ''Tiktaalik'' which remains on Commons. No explanation was given for moving to the 'fishapod' drawing, we are free to ask why it was substituted. Meanwhile I've inserted the skull photo which is definitely helpful in showing use of air as well as water...... [[User:Chiswick Chap|Chiswick Chap]] ([[User talk:Chiswick Chap|talk]]) 08:47, 17 May 2012 (UTC)

:::I think it was because there was a round of vandalism last night, removing pictures released by a particular artist on Commons, and someone added the current instead. The old picture was however not ideal either, as it showed ''Tiktaalik'' in an improbable "push-up" position. Obsidian Soul was making [[Wikipedia:WikiProject_Palaeontology/Paleoart_review#Tiktaalik|a new picture]], but he did not get around to finish it. We could ask him nicely if he can finish it, or I can make a crude picture (when family time allows). [[User:Petter Bøckman|Petter Bøckman]] ([[User talk:Petter Bøckman|talk]]) 12:09, 17 May 2012 (UTC)

:::: Well, the original image is still on Commons, and if it was merely removed in vandalism there's no reason not to revert, so I've put it back for now. That doesn't preclude you or Obsidian Soul drawing a better one, of course. [[User:Chiswick Chap|Chiswick Chap]] ([[User talk:Chiswick Chap|talk]]) 12:57, 17 May 2012 (UTC)

::::::My error, got mixed up with the apparent deletion of an allegedly non-free image and added the fishapod pic as an interim measure. None of the [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:TiktaalikTiktaalik images] are ideal. If our [[Tiktaalik]] article is correct, it "also lacked a characteristic that most fishes have—bony plates in the gill area that restrict lateral head movement. This makes Tiktaalik the earliest known fish to have a neck, with the pectoral girdle separate from the skull." [[Lateral (anatomy)]] implies sideways movement, distinct from fishes which must move their whole body to move their head. Shubin's ''Your Inner Fish'' pp. 22–24 is clear that Tiktaalik was distinguished from fishes by having a neck and being able to move its head independently, but these pages don't indicate whether the movement was lateral. There's also the question of habitat: Obsidian Soul's [http://i.imgur.com/IfwNe.jpg sketch] is terrific, hope something on these lines can be made available. . [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 14:20, 17 May 2012 (UTC)