snake evolution

I've just read an article in the usatodau website about snake evolution dated 8/4/04 (or if your american 4/8/04...never unbderstood why you guys put the month before the day. its not so much putting the cart before the horse, but having the horse, then the carrots you feed it...then the cart..:) )

The article is all about how they have done DNA tests on all lizard species and then compared them to snakes to find out which group they are related to. The article goes on and on about how they were thought to be mosasaurs, and that the tests show snakes are not closely related to mosasaurs (or at least their close relatives, the monitors).

I have no problem with this as such, as I'm on the fence when it comes to snake ancestory, Ive read or heard nothing that swings me either way. My problem is they never mention what they are closely related too. They just say they haven't worked that out yet. But then how can they know that monitors aern't the closest relative? I mean if they found even one species of lizard that is closer, why didn't they say it? Something like "even though we havent finished our tests to find the absolute, closets relative of the sanke, we do know that the .......... lizard is even clioser then the monitors, showing that they are indeed of land based origin etc etc.."

But they didn't...not even a one! So what happens when they do test every species and they find out that , though not close, the monitors are the nearest relative to snakes today. I think this article is one of those...initial findings have us all excited and we'll get our names in the news kind'a things. We can always apologise later when it turns out we didn't have all the info to hand.

To my point :). Has anyone actually read the papaer from these people, not just an article? Im always worried that the media has blown up or mis quoated something these guys has said and are claiming it as fact. Something the media is reknowned for. Maybe they did mention a more closely related species and it just wasn't mentioned in the article.

If so could you let me know were I can see it? Thanks

Phil Hore

National Dinosaur Museum

Canberra, Australia

ph (02) 62302655

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