Prior to this discovery, biologists had been largely unable to establish a family tree of cats from the fossil record because the fossils of different cat species all look very much alike, differing primarily in size.

Prior to the discovery of the Haber process, ammonia had been difficult to produce on an industrial scale.

Prior to the discovery of the bodies in Lindow Moss, British bog bodies had been a relatively neglected subject compared to European examples.

Prior to the discovery of the Rosetta Stone and its eventual decipherment, there had been no understanding of the Ancient Egyptian language and script since shortly before the fall of the Roman Empire.

Prior to this discovery, this origin had been suspected from the similarity of the grapes ' names and the fact that Cabernet Sauvignon shares similar aromas with both grapes — such as the black currant and pencil box aromas of Cabernet franc and the grassiness of Sauvignon blanc.

Prior to this discovery, the earliest-known fossil turtles were terrestrial and had a complete shell, offering no clue to the evolution of this remarkable anatomical feature.

Prior to this discovery it was assumed that these formations had eroded away during the Laramide orogeny.

Prior to discovery and settlement by Europeans, Georgia was inhabited by the mound building cultures.

Prior to Kater's discovery, the accuracy of g measurements was limited by the difficulty of measuring the other factor L, the length of the pendulum, accurately.

Prior to the Nag Hammadi library discovery, the sayings of Jesus found in Oxyrhynchus were known simply as Logia Iesu.

Prior to this discovery, it had been speculated that Ramesses III may have been killed by means that would not have left a mark on the body.

Prior to the discovery of SARS-CoV, MHV had been the best-studied coronavirus both in vivo and in vitro as well as at the molecular level.

Prior to the discovery of 3C 273, several other radio sources had been associated with optical counterparts, the first being 3C 48.

Prior to its scientific discovery, the Iriomote cat was known locally by various names:,,.

Prior to the discovery of Stovaine and Novocaine, cocaine was the most commonly used local anesthetic.

Prior to Harris's discovery of transformations, grammar as so far developed could not yet treat of individual word combinations, but only of word classes.

Prior to that discovery, it may have been thought the four More children were parentless London street waifs or children of people on Church relief, who were unwillingly sent to the New World by the Virginia Company as indentured labor.

Prior to the discovery of the nebula, the central star of the Stingray Nebula was known as He3-1357, which Karl Gordon Henize classified as an A or B type Hα emission line star in 1967.

Prior to this, coal had been mined at Fordell for over a century, but the discovery of the coal seams at the depth they were found came as a pleasant surprise, considering the dip in the coal strata at Fordell, as it was previously thought that the seams at Cowdenbeath would be at such a depth as to be almost unworkable.

Prior to the discovery of riboswitches, the mechanism by which some genes involved in multiple metabolic pathways were regulated remained mysterious.

Prior to European discovery, the Frankston area was populated by Indigenous Australians known as the Kulin people.

Prior to the discovery of steel by any culture, all stone carving was carried out by using an abrasion technique, following rough hewing of the stone block using hammers.

Prior to trial, during the discovery phase of the litigation, Tylo's lawyers won a partial victory in an interlocutory appeal challenging a lower court's order compelling her to answer a broad range of personal questions.

Prior to this discovery, Kozhevin has already unearthed ancient coins, pendants, rings and weapon fragments.

Prior to European discovery, Patterson Lakes was populated by Indigenous Australians known as the Kulin people.

Prior to 1942, automobiles were the individual responsibility of the agency to which assigned.

Prior to the year 1878, all apostolic letters and briefs requiring for their validity the leaden seal were engrossed upon rough parchment and in Gothic characters ( round letters, also called Gallicum and commonly Bollatico, but in Italy today Teutonic ) without lines, or diphthongs, or marks of punctuation.

Prior to major influence from outside, there were approximately 25, 000 Aleuts on the archipelago.

Prior to 2006, off-premises alcohol sales were forbidden until noon on Sundays, and liquor / wine stores were required to be closed the entire day.

Prior to 1991 the law was stricter, when changes more clearly defined which businesses were exempt such as pharmacies, hospitals, and restaurants.

Prior to the Smartmodem, modems were almost entirely manual in operation, having developed from acoustic couplers that used a traditional telephone for dialling and hanging up.

Prior to the bubonic plague epidemic known as the Black Death, Mongol and Turkish armies were reported to have catapulted disease-laden corpses into besieged cities.

Prior movements had all originated in cities which were home to at least two teams.

Prior to 31 December 2010, deposits with building societies of up to £ 50, 000 per individual, per institution, were normally protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme ( FSCS ), but Nationwide and Yorkshire Building Societies negotiated a temporary change to the terms of the FSCS to protect members of the societies they acquired in late 2008 / early 2009.

Prior to 1948, various standards for luminous intensity were in use in a number of countries.

Prior to the development of the pound lock in 984AD in China by Chhaio Wei-Yo and later in Europe in the 15th century, either flash locks consisting of a single gate were used or ramps, sometimes equipped with rollers, were used to change level.

Prior to the internet, virtual communities ( like social or academic organizations ) were far more limited by the constraints of available communication and transportation technologies.

Prior to Kidd returning to New York City, he learned that he was a wanted pirate, and that several English men-of-war were searching for him.

Prior to the end of the slave trade and widespread abolition, when indigenous labour was unavailable, slaves were often imported to the Americas, first by the Spanish Empire, and later by the Dutch, French and British.

Prior to the charter, there were various statutes which protected an assortment of civil rights and obligations, but nothing was enshrined in the constitution until 1982.

Prior to the invention of tension rods drum skins were attached and tuned by rope systems such as that used on the Djembe or pegs and ropes such as that used on Ewe Drums, a system rarely used today, although sometimes seen on regimental marching band snare drums.

Prior to his inauguration, he led a meeting of advisors at Pearl Harbor addressing foremost issues ; agreed objectives were to balance the budget during his term, to bring the Korean War to an end, to defend vital interests at lower cost through nuclear deterrent, and to end price and wage controls.

Prior to the development of DTMF, numbers were dialed on automated telephone systems by means of pulse dialing ( Dial Pulse or DP in the U. S .) or loop disconnect ( LD ) signaling, which functions by rapidly disconnecting and re-connecting the calling party's telephone line, similar to flicking a light switch on and off.

Prior to the early 20th century, all shotgun barrels were forged by heating narrow strips of iron and steel and shaping them around a mandrel.

Prior to the start of the Civil War, Governor Samuel J. Kirkwood declared Davenport to be Iowa's first military headquarters and five camps were set up in the city to aid the Union.

Prior to World War II, destroyers were light vessels with little endurance for unattended ocean operations ; typically a number of destroyers and a single destroyer tender operated together.

Prior to the mid-20th century, double bass strings were usually made of gut, but since that time, steel strings have largely replaced gut strings, because steel strings hold their pitch better and yield more volume when played with the bow.

As time passed, Prior Diego sanctioned the building of a monastery for girls whose parents had sent them to the care of the Albigensians because their families were too poor to fulfill their basic needs.