1.   Looking beyond the particulars of the newly discovered fossils, paleontologists now sense an opportunity to look deeper into the early evolution of animal life.

2.   Previously discovered fossils of ancient orangutan ancestors, such as Sivapithecus, have rounder eye sockets.

3.   Previously discovered fossils from Africa suggest that sometime around five million years ago, a split occurred in the evolutionary tree that gave rise to the human race.

4.   Scientists said another implication of the newly discovered fossils, which are from China, was that feathers could no longer be considered a defining characteristic of birds.

5.   A previously discovered fossil from another creature of the same age had been designated a chordate, but that interpretation has been questioned, Morris said.