The 375 Million Year Old Rose of Tiktaalik

In 2006 an incredible fossil discovery was made of a very important "missing link" - one of those transitional fossils that help scientists piece together major developments in the evolutionary history of life on Earth.

In this case, the fossil was Tiktaalik roseae, an extinct species of sarcopterygian fish. The Sarcopterygii are the lobed-finned fish, an ancient group of fish that are survived today by the lungfish and the "living fossil", the coelacanth, as well as you and me and all other tetrapods. Note the family resemblance...

The University of Chicago has an amazing site that explores the fossil and the science of palaeontology.

Here is an interview with one of the scientists who hunted, located and extracted this muscular fishapod. I recommend this for insights into exactly how one goes about finding fossils.