U.S.BREAKING: MILDLY IMPORTANT
Ancient armored fish rewrites story of 410-million-year-old jawed…
Researchers at Beijing's Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology describe Yangfanyu anachoresis, a placoderm from Yunnan that pushes its group back about ten million years; the fish remains unavailable for comment.
On air: Hank Ledger and Dale Bearman on BBN NewsroomPublished
Photo: User:Haplochromis · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0Watch it as it aired: Hank Ledger and Dale Bearman on this story, from BBN Newsroom at 10:08 AM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are Bioengineer.org's, the jokes are ours.
At a glance
- First reported by Bioengineer.org: “Ancient Armored Fish Rewrites the 410-Million-Year-Old Story of a Weird Jawed Vertebrate Clan”.
- Covered on BBN on Monday, October 19, 2026, at 10:08 AM ET on BBN Newsroom, by Hank Ledger and Dale Bearman.
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
What BBN said about it
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorWe are interrupting our coverage with a developing story: scientists from Beijing and Qujing Normal University have named a new armored fish, Yangfanyu anachoresis, found in Yunnan Province in southwestern China.
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorHow new is new?
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThe story is about a four hundred and ten million year old clan of fish, and it pushes the fossil record of its group back by roughly ten million years, Bioengineer.org reports.
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorTen million years. So this story has been developing since before trees had proper leaves, and we only found out this morning.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorIt had plates of bone over its head and jointed fins that have puzzled anatomists since the nineteenth century. Team coverage continues.
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorTeam coverage. I assume our reporter is standing outside the Yunnan Province rock, saying the fish has made no statement.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorWe will update you if it becomes slightly more important.
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Photo: Gage Skidmore · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: U.S. Department of State from United States · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: David Shankbone · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: Harald Krichel · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: derivative work: user:The Explaner · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
From the archive: everything BBN aired on Monday, October 19, 2026 · the U.S. archive · all months
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