So many of the 'missing links' that we are searching for in fossils, still survive in creatures that exist today. We will learn by what we find, and what we learn, will give us leads as to where to look further. The cyclic nature of the world environment means conditions both change, and repeat themselves.
Why throw something away that may come in useful in the future, when leaving will cause absolutely no trouble? Waiting to be triggered when conditions make them necessary again.
Reminds me a bit of how people can put something like money away for safekeeping, then forget it entirely, only to find it when moving house - when money would be needed far more than when it was put away. Putting...

So many of the 'missing links' that we are searching for in fossils, still survive in creatures that exist today. We will learn by what we find, and what we learn, will give us leads as to where to look further. The cyclic nature of the world environment means conditions both change, and repeat themselves.
Why throw something away that may come in useful in the future, when leaving will cause absolutely no trouble? Waiting to be triggered when conditions make them necessary again.
Reminds me a bit of how people can put something like money away for safekeeping, then forget it entirely, only to find it when moving house - when money would be needed far more than when it was put away. Putting something away that may seem useless at the time, but not wanting to throw it away
I know the analogy is a bit remote, but usually moving means a completely new set of circumstances, where something that once seemed useless can become handy, valuable, or even essential. The way genes are so tightly packed, there doesn't seem to be a shortage of storage space.