A new study from the journal Nature concludes that a fossil found in 2007 is a “missing link” between former land-based animals and current seals and other pinnipeds. The animal, named Puijila darwini, had longer legs, more reminiscent of those of land mammals, yet also had webbed feet. The animal existed about twenty to twenty-four million years ago. The study suggests that the animal lived in freshwater lakes, but turned to the oceans after the lakes froze over.
This find is yet another piece of the evolutionary puzzle that plugs a gap between land and water based animals that creationists tend to over-emphasize as a means to diminish evolution. Yet, this find demonstrates the beauty of a scientific theory in action. A “theory” in science is not the same as a “theory” in common linguistic usage. In science, a theory is a logical explanation of a group of observed phenomena which essentially explains our world. When a hypothesis rises to the level of a theory, it can be routinely used to predict what we should find if we encounter new evidence. With evolution, we can use that theory to predict just how a “missing link” should look. And that’s precisely what happened with this newly found fossil.
