Author: Wang Jingya
who am I?
Where am i from
I believe many people have thought about it
These two questions
And the answer to the question
Maybe you can find clues in Chengjiang, Yunnan
A complete fossil wall in the Chengjiang Fossil Land World Natural Heritage Museum.
Photo by Chang Shuyu
The ancestors of human beings turned out to be...fish?
Many people know that the ancestors of human beings were apes, what about before?
What were the ancestors of mankind hundreds of millions of years ago?
The answer is-fish.
On the north shore of Fuxian Lake in Chengjiang, Yunnan, there is a hill of 18 square kilometers, named Maotian Mountain because of its shape like a straw hat.
This is the location of the starting point of Chengjiang Biota, known as the "world-class fossil treasure house" by the international scientific community.
The fossil library on display in the Chengjiang Fossil Land World Natural Heritage Museum.
Photo by Chang Shuyu
As the earliest vertebrate found on earth, the Kunming fish that once lived in Chengjiang is the ancestor of human beings 518 million years ago.
Vertebrates refer to animals with heads and vertebrae, such as fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals and humans.
Humans think and think in the brain, so the importance of the brain is self-evident.
The origin and evolution of the brain is accompanied by the origin and evolution of vertebrates.
Therefore, it can be said that the emergence of fish is an important milestone in the history of animal evolution. They already have a real head, even a spine and heart system, marking the first time that a large vertebrate family has completed the comprehensive construction of the basic organ system. This is the first step towards the future of intelligent human beings.
Fengjiao Kunming fish fossil.
Photo by Chang Shuyu
At present, the Kunming fishes that have been discovered include three genera, namely Kunming fish, Haikou fish and Zhongjian fish, all of which were produced in the Chengjiang Biota in the early Cambrian.
The Fengjiao Kunming fish discovered in 1999 is only about 3 centimeters long, but it has differentiated head, trunk, and posterior tail, and has the basic body configuration of vertebrates.
Its appearance has pushed the earliest fossil record of vertebrates forward by 50 million years, becoming the "No. 1 fish in the world" that sensationalized the world.
How did fish transform into humans step by step?
Studies have shown that more than 300 million years ago, a group of finfish slowly climbed onto the land, and subsequent evolution appeared amphibians, reptiles, birds, and quadruped vertebrates including mammals belonging to humans.
Cambrian world knocked out by "one hammer"
In the long historical evolution of the earth, the period between 542 million and 488 million years ago is called the "Cambrian".
At that time, the land was still barren, but the underwater world was very lively, countless kinds of creatures appeared here, staged a wonderful scene of life explosion.
This event, known as the "Cambrian Life Explosion", is recorded in the annals of life on earth.
The Cambrian life explosion sounds very far away, but the real uncovering of its mystery is related to the "one hammer" 37 years ago.
Fossils unearthed in Chengjiang Fossil Land.
Photo by Chang Shuyu
On July 1, 1984, Hou Xianguang, a former researcher at the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, discovered a long-tailed narcoid fossil on the western slope of Maotian Mountain. This rare soft tissue fossil showed the distance clearly to people for the first time. The true face of the world of marine life more than 500 million years ago.
This "one hammer" knocking on fossils also knocked on the mysterious door of the Cambrian explosion of life.
In April 1987, the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences announced the discovery of fossil clusters in Maotian Mountain, Chengjiang, which immediately caused a sensation.
After that, many paleontologists came to Maotian Mountain to conduct early life research and achieved fruitful results.
People visit the World Natural Heritage Museum of Chengjiang Fossil Land.
Photo by Li Jiaxian
In July 2012, the Chengjiang Fossil Site was successfully applied for, becoming the first fossil world natural heritage in China, the only one in Asia, and only three places in the world.
At present, in the Chengjiang Fossil Site, a total of more than 280 species of rare Cambrian animals and plants have been discovered, belonging to 20 categories, and 80% of them are new species.
"Not only vertebrates, but the ancestors of almost all living animal species can be found here." said Chen Taimin, curator of the World Natural Heritage Museum of Chengjiang Fossil Land. The branches and leaves form the face of the biodiversity of the earth today. Therefore, we have a propaganda slogan: Chengjiang bugs, your little ancestor."
Witness the origin of life and protect biodiversity
“Life on the earth, from ocean to land, land to sky, has formed such a vibrant world today.” Liang Yongning, a professor at Kunming University of Science and Technology, said in an interview with the media. How can we know what happened in the ocean during the Cambrian period more than 500 million years ago?"
Chengjiang Fossil Land World Natural Heritage Museum.
Photo by Chang Shuyu
It is precisely because of abundant paleontological fossils that Yunnan has become one of the most distinctive stratum paleontological distribution areas on the earth.
The Cambrian paleontological fossil group in Maotian Mountain, Chengjiang, has witnessed an important moment in the evolution of the earth and opened the code for the origin of biodiversity.
In October of this year, the Chengjiang Fossil Land World Natural Heritage Museum was upgraded and reopened to the public for free.
More and more people walk into the museum to listen to the magical stories of the earth from the explosion of life to the evolution of life, and then to biodiversity.
"With the exploration and thinking of life, we are here to go back to the source of biodiversity, understand the evolution from fish to man, practice the concept of harmonious coexistence between man and nature, and finally build a community of life between man and nature." Long Chen Taimin said.
Fossils unearthed in Chengjiang Fossil Land.
Photo by Chang Shuyu
500 million years is far away,
Chengjiang Fossil Land is very close.
From Kunming fish to human beings today,
Behind every life evolution story,
They are all buried in the immortal idea of harmonious coexistence between man and nature.
It is precisely because of
Rich biodiversity,
Our planet is so beautiful.
People visit the World Natural Heritage Museum of Chengjiang Fossil Land.
Photo by Li Jiaxian
Currently,
Convention on Biological Diversity
Fifteenth Conference of the Parties
(COP15)
It is being held in Kunming, Yunnan, China.
COP15 venue.
Photo by Cui Nan
This also makes
Caiyunzhinan, which is rich in biodiversity, once again "out of the circle",
Become the focus of world attention.
The magic of nature's creation,
Perfectly reflected on the land of Yunling,
More exciting, waiting for you to discover,
Yunnan, waiting for you!