Human Origins traced to a Worm Fossil found in Canada.

The most primitive known vertebrate and therefore the ancestor of all descendant vertebrates, including humans, has been discovered in the 505 million year old Burgess Shale fossil beds in Canada’s Yoho National Park. It is the most primitive vertebrate known, and therefore the ancestor of all descendant vertebrates, including humans.

The research team’s analysis proves the extinct Pikaia gracilens is the most primitive member of the chordate family, the group of animals that today includes fish, amphibians, birds, reptiles and mammals. The study is based on the analysis of 114 specimens and was published, March 5 2012, in the British scientific journal Biological Reviews.

“The discovery of myomeres is the smoking gun that we have long been seeking,” said the study’s lead author, Professor Simon Conway Morris of the University of Cambridge. The real excitement was finding extensive myomeres, the blocks of skeletal muscle tissue that are characteristic of chordates.”

“It’s very humbling to know that swans, snakes, bears, zebras and, incredibly, humans all share a deep history
with this tiny creature no longer than my thumb,” said Caron.

***Thoughts
Yes very humbling - especially when you look at the picture of the 500 million year old worm.

http://phys.org/news/2012-03-human-worm-fossil-canada.html

:sigh:

It isn't a worm. A science-reporting site should do better. Calling it a worm is akin to calling a fire a star...

Bryan

But that's just it; a media site.
Used to put scientific studies into a format that can be noticed and digested by the masses.

In all fairness to the article, the creature in question was originally described as a worm, it looks like a worm, and 9/10 people won't care what name is given to any discovery in a media site's articles. Now if the nomenclature was off in a peer reviewed article...

Looks like little baby tremors worms. Can't remember what Bacon called them.

Here's a strangely similar article, different species:

http://io9.com/ancient-penis-headed-worm-pushes-fossil-record-back-200-453494296

You're far kinder than I - having had many negative encounters with the press* I generally assume that this kind of BS reporting is a mix of ignorance and laziness on the part of the reporter. Accurately describing what Pikaia is, is not very hard. Calling it a worm is plain wrong. In fact, reporting that it was falsely identified as a worm would be far more accurate than what that article stated.

* In 2002 I was credited with 'curing' HIV (I actually showed a conventional drug could help restore some of the residual immunodeficiency treated HIV patients experience) and later (2005-ish) claimed that I said HepA was an autoimmune disorder - despite giving them a point-form set of notes that said:

• Inflammation of the liver is often caused by infections of viruses such as the Hepatitis A virus

These days I generally refuse to talk to the media unless they agree - in writing - to let me fact check their story before publication. Which means I rarely talk to the media anymore. Who wants to let facts get in the way of a good story?

Bryan

This is true, they are often lazy, and skim the top of the information at best. Like the internet forum user getting "FIRST!" post, they rush to beat the other half assed articles coming out.
I take them with a grain of salt. Usually I credit a poorly written article with providing the spark of curiosity, and the desire to learn more, or just the facts.

Ahh Dragnet. If only Joe could run the media "Just the facts, ma'am."