Scientists in Lucknow (India) have unearthed a 65-million-year-old fossil, showing two tiniest members of the animal family in sexual union.
"It is the first time that sexual copulation has been discovered in a fossil state," according to Ranjeet Kar at the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany in Lucknow.
However, one needs a microscope to see the fossil sex frozen in time because what Kar and co-workers have captured is between "swarm cells" that are smaller than the width of a human hair. Swarm cells are one of the three stages in the development of the fungus Myxomycetes, also known as "slime moulds" that are classified due to their creeping behaviour.
Read more... (Hindustan Times)
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Fungi are animals now? And what's the "animal family" anyway?
I'm sure that was enough to give those scientists a hard-on 
Clearly they are not using the proper nomenclature schemes. Animal is not a family, nor are fungi Animals. I am going to investigate the article further, but sometimes people only think of sexual reproduction and animals, and forget about the other organisms that reproduce that way.
Animals and Fungi are their seperate Kingdoms under Domain Eukaryota.
Animals and Fungi are their seperate Kingdoms under Domain Eukaryota.
QUOTE (Neutron+)
Scientists in Lucknow (India) have unearthed a 65-million-year-old fossil, showing two tiniest members of the animal family in sexual union.
Neutron.
I thought you went to school. There are three "Kindoms", as they are called. The animal kingdom, the plant kingom, and the fungus kingdom. Fungi have their own kingdom because they do not belong in any of the other two.
When I first saw the title "Scientists Find Fossils in Sexual Union", I thought you were talking about a couple of dinosaurs doing it to death, or at least a couple of humans.
Neutron.
I thought you went to school. There are three "Kindoms", as they are called. The animal kingdom, the plant kingom, and the fungus kingdom. Fungi have their own kingdom because they do not belong in any of the other two.When I first saw the title "Scientists Find Fossils in Sexual Union", I thought you were talking about a couple of dinosaurs doing it to death, or at least a couple of humans.
Where did you go to school, 555Joshua? =P
There are 5 Kingdoms: Animalia, Plantae, Fungi, Protista and Monera.
It has already been noted by Caveman that there are only 3 kingdoms of Eukaryota, but there are 5 kingdoms total of life as we know it.
It has already been noted also that fungi are not part of the animal kingdom, and there is no such thing as the animal family. I'm wondering if the slime mold is in fact the participant in this fossilized sexual reproduction act, or whether the researchers were having trouble with the fossils BECAUSE slime mold had creeped in.
That said, this article doesn't give enough information. What position were they in? Inquiring Minds Want To Know!
There are 5 Kingdoms: Animalia, Plantae, Fungi, Protista and Monera.
It has already been noted by Caveman that there are only 3 kingdoms of Eukaryota, but there are 5 kingdoms total of life as we know it.
It has already been noted also that fungi are not part of the animal kingdom, and there is no such thing as the animal family. I'm wondering if the slime mold is in fact the participant in this fossilized sexual reproduction act, or whether the researchers were having trouble with the fossils BECAUSE slime mold had creeped in.
That said, this article doesn't give enough information. What position were they in? Inquiring Minds Want To Know!
Not trying to beat a dead horse, but there would actually be 4 kingdoms in Doman Eykaryota, with Monera solely occupying Domain Prokaryota. Or at least that's the best way to fit the old five kingdom system with the new domain system, as they're sort of uncomplementary.
"Domain Eukaryota" that is...
The book I studied didn't mention these other kingdoms.
It must have been VERY old. I'm surprised that it had a fungus kingdom at all, rather than grouping them under plants.
And I would be king, and you would be the queen Garlic.
Whatever dude.
Early expeditions to Antarctica reported on seeing fosssils,but they did not collect them. Who first reported on seeing fossils of leaves and stems of plants? Who reported finding beds of coal near the South Pole? 
Oh my gosh!!
like ya'll totally need to get ya'll facts straight!!
Alchohol leads to Alcoholism
Love Professor Ana Marie Pooper
like ya'll totally need to get ya'll facts straight!!
Alchohol leads to Alcoholism
Love Professor Ana Marie Pooper
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