Newly-discovered
arthropod fossils reveal primitive limbs and the earliest example of a
nervous system extending beyond the head.
The fossils are the
remains of Fuxianhuiid arthropods, which lived in the sea during the
Cambrian Period 520 million years ago. Like arthropods today (insects,
crustaceans etc) they had a hard carapace to protect their soft bodies,
but this exoskeleton also kept their soft
structures hidden in fossils. However these new specimens have been
"flipped" before fossilization, allowing researchers an unprecedented
look below the armour.
Fuxianhuiids lived crawling along the
seabed, finding organic matter to eat. Their limbs, seen below the head,
pushed sediment into the mouth where it could be filtered for any
organic matter - making these limbs the earliest example of manipulative
limbs used for feeding. As biologists heavily lean on head appendages
to classify arthropods, this fuxianhuiid fossil provides a key point in
understanding their evolution.
This fossil also shows a nerve
system that went beyond the head. It's not complex - a single nerve
string - but it's the earliest example of a post-cephalic nervous
system. It's hoped the Xiaoshiba biota in southern China (where these
fossils were found) will even reveal more about early life, though it's
already proven rich in fossils. Over 50 fuxianhuiid fossils have been
found there in a year - a collection that would have taken decades even
in other places considered fossil rich.
Image credit: Yie Jang and Javier Ortega-Hernández.
http://www.livescience.com/
http://www.newscientist.com/
http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/
http://www.redorbit.com/news/
Newly-discovered
arthropod fossils reveal primitive limbs and the earliest example of a
nervous system extending beyond the head.
The fossils are the remains of Fuxianhuiid arthropods, which lived in the sea during the Cambrian Period 520 million years ago. Like arthropods today (insects, crustaceans etc) they had a hard carapace to protect their soft bodies, but this exoskeleton also kept their soft structures hidden in fossils. However these new specimens have been "flipped" before fossilization, allowing researchers an unprecedented look below the armour.
Fuxianhuiids lived crawling along the seabed, finding organic matter to eat. Their limbs, seen below the head, pushed sediment into the mouth where it could be filtered for any organic matter - making these limbs the earliest example of manipulative limbs used for feeding. As biologists heavily lean on head appendages to classify arthropods, this fuxianhuiid fossil provides a key point in understanding their evolution.
This fossil also shows a nerve system that went beyond the head. It's not complex - a single nerve string - but it's the earliest example of a post-cephalic nervous system. It's hoped the Xiaoshiba biota in southern China (where these fossils were found) will even reveal more about early life, though it's already proven rich in fossils. Over 50 fuxianhuiid fossils have been found there in a year - a collection that would have taken decades even in other places considered fossil rich.
Image credit: Yie Jang and Javier Ortega-Hernández.
http://www.livescience.com/
http://www.newscientist.com/
http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/
http://www.redorbit.com/news/
The fossils are the remains of Fuxianhuiid arthropods, which lived in the sea during the Cambrian Period 520 million years ago. Like arthropods today (insects, crustaceans etc) they had a hard carapace to protect their soft bodies, but this exoskeleton also kept their soft structures hidden in fossils. However these new specimens have been "flipped" before fossilization, allowing researchers an unprecedented look below the armour.
Fuxianhuiids lived crawling along the seabed, finding organic matter to eat. Their limbs, seen below the head, pushed sediment into the mouth where it could be filtered for any organic matter - making these limbs the earliest example of manipulative limbs used for feeding. As biologists heavily lean on head appendages to classify arthropods, this fuxianhuiid fossil provides a key point in understanding their evolution.
This fossil also shows a nerve system that went beyond the head. It's not complex - a single nerve string - but it's the earliest example of a post-cephalic nervous system. It's hoped the Xiaoshiba biota in southern China (where these fossils were found) will even reveal more about early life, though it's already proven rich in fossils. Over 50 fuxianhuiid fossils have been found there in a year - a collection that would have taken decades even in other places considered fossil rich.
Image credit: Yie Jang and Javier Ortega-Hernández.
http://www.livescience.com/
http://www.newscientist.com/
http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/
http://www.redorbit.com/news/
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