Neil Shubin Quotes (12 Quotes)

Most of the major joints of the fin are functional in this fish. The shoulder, elbow, and even parts of the wrist are already there and working in ways similar to the earliest land-living animals.

It took a long time for us to figure out really the extent of what we had.

It shows us the stages by which land-living animals were constructed.

What we saw was a real mosaic between characteristics of fish and those previously thought to be only in land animals. The fossil was showing us how creatures were assembled over time to live on land.

It represents the transition from water to land - the part of history that includes ourselves. When we talk about the fish's wrist, we're talking about the origin of parts of our own wrist.

It is a fish that shows a surprising combination of characteristics of land-living animals.

Outside, it's a classic Arctic scene. But inside those rocks is a tropical world.

When we look inside the fin, we see a shoulder, we see an elbow, and we see an early version of a wrist, which is very similar to that of all animals that also walk on land.

The world is filled with puzzles, all kinds of interesting questions and it's our challenge to figure them out. It's not just like this static file cabinet of things that human beings know. It's ever expanding.

It could either push itself straight up and down or pull itself forward. It more likely flopped around like a seal rather than walked like a horse.

Another thing to get used to in the Arctic is being in the food chain. There are polar bears there, and polar bears eat people. So we carry weapons.

This animal represents the transition from water to landthe part of history that includes ourselves.