2017年CRI Paleontologists call for urgent protection on Weng'an biota

 

Fossils found at Weng'an in Guizhou Province are regarded as the oldest ones to be found in the country, if not the world.

Recently, a group of paleontologists gathered at the site to call for more protection of animal fossils that could provide clues to the origin of life on Earth.

For more on this, CRI's Huang Shan reports.

As some of the earliest animal fossils discovered so far, the Weng'an site can be dated back to about 610 million years ago.

During the Qing Ming holiday, giant excavators dug up some fossils, which were then transported to a phosphate factory to make fertilizers.

A screenshot of a video from Chinanews.com shows Paleontologists recently visiting Weng'an in southwest China’s Guizhou Province. [Screenshot: China Plus]

Top scholars from China, the UK and the US have arrived in Weng'an, to urge a protection of the site.

A researcher with the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhu Maoyan, elaborates on the importance of the Weng'an fossils.

"Weng'an biota¹ is viewed as the only evidence of well-preserved three-dimensional embryo² fossils both in the field of geology and in the world."

He further explains that the discovery of the fossils has led to Weng'an being dubbed³ as the "cradle of primitive⁴ life on Earth."

"Vernanimalcula guizhouena is the earliest complex animal with bilateral⁵ symmetry like human beings. One of its ancestors was discovered here. The fossil of Eocyathispongia qiania is three-dimensional. So far it has been generally recognized as one of the earliest animal fossils in the world."

However, buried deep underground in a layer rich with phosphorus, the Weng'an fossils are currently located in a mining area of a huge chemical company.

Yang Qun, the director of the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, says rapid mining and exploitation are harmful to the site.

"The mining has progressed so fast that many geological fossil profiles are disappearing quickly. Hence we have to select some essential profiles for further protection."

Local authorities have been investigating and labeling the fossil profiles of the phosphate rocks in the area.

The company's operations in the area will be stopped, with plans for a mine park in the works.

Last month, research findings indicated that the fossils at Weng'an could be as old as 609 million years, with a margin⁶ of error of 5 million years either side.

For CRI, this is Huang Shan.

1 biota   

n.生物区

参考例句：

• They have had serious effects upon the biota of stream.它们对河流中的生物群体产生严重影响。
• Historical biogeography attempts to reconstruct the biota history of the earth.历史生物地理学重建生物区系历史。

2 embryo   

n.胚胎，萌芽的事物

参考例句：

• They are engaging in an embryo research.他们正在进行一项胚胎研究。
• The project was barely in embryo.该计划只是个雏形。

3 dubbed   

v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制

参考例句：

• Mathematics was once dubbed the handmaiden of the sciences. 数学曾一度被视为各门科学的基础。
• Is the movie dubbed or does it have subtitles? 这部电影是配音的还是打字幕的？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 primitive   

adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物

参考例句：

• It is a primitive instinct to flee a place of danger.逃离危险的地方是一种原始本能。
• His book describes the march of the civilization of a primitive society.他的著作描述了一个原始社会的开化过程。

5 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

6 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。