Ever say or do anything that might have offended someone? Ever do something that you regret? Not going to have that engraved on your tombstone, are you?
Euchambersia mirabilis, a Permian Period pre-mammalian critter that lived some 257 million years ago, was recently the topic in the news because it was venomous: “Euchambersia manifests evidence of all characteristics of venomous animals: a venom gland (in the maxillary fossa), a mechanism to deliver the venom (the maxillary canal and/or the sulcus located ventrally to the fossa); and an apparatus with which to inflict a wound for venom delivery (the ridged dentition).”* We have two fossils of Euchambersia. The first fossil of this dog-sized animal was discovered in 1932 near Colesberg, South Africa. The second fossil was discovered in 1966, somewhat surprisingly, just a few feet from the 1932 find. Considering how difficult it is to become fossilized—thus the bias of the fossil record—we should be happy to have these two presereved specimens.
Just about anything can go against the fossilization of a land animal. It dies. Carrion eaters attack it. Bacteria, too, plus insects and fungi. A bone-eater carries off a leg. Another carries off a skull. A stream washes parts away, or a strong wind blows the pieces apart. Fossilization is chancy. (Don’t worry, we’ll do our best to preserve you)
So, imagine. Two Euchambersia died 257 million years ago. Their bodies were fossilized by chance as all fossilized bodies are, and they lay for millions of years unknown to the world until the two discoveries brought them to our attention. What is it that should fascinate us in this? That they were venomous is no longer a secret. The truth is out.
Have you noticed how politicians and monarchs speak of their legacies? Presidents have multimillion-dollar libraries with all the photos and papers they want to preserve to show themselves in a favorable way for posterity’s adulations. And they have an advantage. They can choose what gets to be preserved, to be fossilized for future researchers to uncover. Wealthy donors and fans donate the money for such preservation, and possibly some, like Sandy Berger, might contribute clandestine activities to hide anything that might damage the legacies in some way.
Remember the late Berger? Berger, Director of the National Security Center under President Clinton, went into the National Archives in Washington and stuffed classified documents into his socks to sneak them out. He was caught, lost his security clearance, and was disbarred, all for the preservation of the Clinton reputation. Tough to preserve the truth about something when it escapes fossilization. Berger was not a friend of the nation’s archivists. We don’t know how many administrations (or kings, or queens, or emperors, or religious leaders) might have had their own “Bergers.”
But millions of years from now, no one will probably care. In fact, you might already say, “Who cares? That era is over. Eventually, all the libraries and archives will turn to dust as will all the records they now contain. There will be no legacy; nothing will be fossilized. Unlike the bias of the natural fossil record, the human fossil record will be biased through conscious choice.”
Euchambersia did leave a record. It left evidence of its venomous nature. Those who preserve their legacies in presidential libraries or in other special buildings or tombs will do their best to leave no evidence that they had some venom. Since we have short memories and little sense of history, the ensuing generations will know only a history approved by the individuals memorialized.
That means that members of a future generation will have little sense of what motivated people to act the way they did. It means that white-washing will eliminate imperfections, including any venomous words or actions. So, legacies will be preserved as those who believe they deserve a positive one can preserve them. It’s the way of the world, and it predates our era.
Euchambersia lived in the Permian Period. That age ended in the Great Dying, an extinction event that wiped out nearly all marine and terrestrial species. No creatures lived to tell the tale. Yet, the secret is out. Euchambersia, that cute dog-size critter, was as venomous as a snake.
There is a chance that all venomous activity will someday be known. Like a creature with a built-in venomous gland in its maxillary fossa, all humans have the potential to inject venom. We really can’t hide that fact. Someday, someone will dig up the truth about our species.
*Benoit, Julien, luke A. Norton, Paul r. Manger, and Bruce S. RubdigeReappraisal of the envenoming capacity of Euchambersia mirabilis (Therapsida, Therocephalia) using μCT-scanning techniques. http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0172047
Artists' renditions at http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=euchambersia+mirabilis&id=9FADF186D4B4C9E7E82478A78CC7A3CFEB39E883&FORM=IQFRBA
Euchambersia mirabilis, a Permian Period pre-mammalian critter that lived some 257 million years ago, was recently the topic in the news because it was venomous: “Euchambersia manifests evidence of all characteristics of venomous animals: a venom gland (in the maxillary fossa), a mechanism to deliver the venom (the maxillary canal and/or the sulcus located ventrally to the fossa); and an apparatus with which to inflict a wound for venom delivery (the ridged dentition).”* We have two fossils of Euchambersia. The first fossil of this dog-sized animal was discovered in 1932 near Colesberg, South Africa. The second fossil was discovered in 1966, somewhat surprisingly, just a few feet from the 1932 find. Considering how difficult it is to become fossilized—thus the bias of the fossil record—we should be happy to have these two presereved specimens.
Just about anything can go against the fossilization of a land animal. It dies. Carrion eaters attack it. Bacteria, too, plus insects and fungi. A bone-eater carries off a leg. Another carries off a skull. A stream washes parts away, or a strong wind blows the pieces apart. Fossilization is chancy. (Don’t worry, we’ll do our best to preserve you)
So, imagine. Two Euchambersia died 257 million years ago. Their bodies were fossilized by chance as all fossilized bodies are, and they lay for millions of years unknown to the world until the two discoveries brought them to our attention. What is it that should fascinate us in this? That they were venomous is no longer a secret. The truth is out.
Have you noticed how politicians and monarchs speak of their legacies? Presidents have multimillion-dollar libraries with all the photos and papers they want to preserve to show themselves in a favorable way for posterity’s adulations. And they have an advantage. They can choose what gets to be preserved, to be fossilized for future researchers to uncover. Wealthy donors and fans donate the money for such preservation, and possibly some, like Sandy Berger, might contribute clandestine activities to hide anything that might damage the legacies in some way.
Remember the late Berger? Berger, Director of the National Security Center under President Clinton, went into the National Archives in Washington and stuffed classified documents into his socks to sneak them out. He was caught, lost his security clearance, and was disbarred, all for the preservation of the Clinton reputation. Tough to preserve the truth about something when it escapes fossilization. Berger was not a friend of the nation’s archivists. We don’t know how many administrations (or kings, or queens, or emperors, or religious leaders) might have had their own “Bergers.”
But millions of years from now, no one will probably care. In fact, you might already say, “Who cares? That era is over. Eventually, all the libraries and archives will turn to dust as will all the records they now contain. There will be no legacy; nothing will be fossilized. Unlike the bias of the natural fossil record, the human fossil record will be biased through conscious choice.”
Euchambersia did leave a record. It left evidence of its venomous nature. Those who preserve their legacies in presidential libraries or in other special buildings or tombs will do their best to leave no evidence that they had some venom. Since we have short memories and little sense of history, the ensuing generations will know only a history approved by the individuals memorialized.
That means that members of a future generation will have little sense of what motivated people to act the way they did. It means that white-washing will eliminate imperfections, including any venomous words or actions. So, legacies will be preserved as those who believe they deserve a positive one can preserve them. It’s the way of the world, and it predates our era.
Euchambersia lived in the Permian Period. That age ended in the Great Dying, an extinction event that wiped out nearly all marine and terrestrial species. No creatures lived to tell the tale. Yet, the secret is out. Euchambersia, that cute dog-size critter, was as venomous as a snake.
There is a chance that all venomous activity will someday be known. Like a creature with a built-in venomous gland in its maxillary fossa, all humans have the potential to inject venom. We really can’t hide that fact. Someday, someone will dig up the truth about our species.
*Benoit, Julien, luke A. Norton, Paul r. Manger, and Bruce S. RubdigeReappraisal of the envenoming capacity of Euchambersia mirabilis (Therapsida, Therocephalia) using μCT-scanning techniques. http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0172047
Artists' renditions at http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=euchambersia+mirabilis&id=9FADF186D4B4C9E7E82478A78CC7A3CFEB39E883&FORM=IQFRBA
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