Scientists announced the discovery of Tiktaalik roseae, a 375-million-year-old fossil fish found in the Canadian Arctic. Tiktaalik is considered a crucial transitional fossil, showing features of both fish and early tetrapods (four-limbed animals). This discovery was a landmark in understanding the evolution of vertebrates from water to land.

The discovery of Tiktaalik provided a powerful metaphor for the journey from water to land, a liminal state that has inspired poetic reflection. This 'fishapod' has become a symbol for the transformative power of evolution, a figure that embodies the strange and beautiful intermediate stages of natural history, inspiring poets to explore the boundary between the known and the unknown.