This larva fossil from 520 million years ago is so well-preserved, scientists could see its brain
Youti yuanshi larva, found in China and CTX scans showing its organ systems
Imagine being able to look inside a larva that is 520 million years old, with parts of the brain, internal organs, soft tissue and nervous system intact. That is what a group ofscientists from Britain's Natural History Museum were able to do. The extremely well-preserved fossil was found in China.
It lived in the Cambrian period, known for the explosion of life on Earth. Fossils from this period will give clues into how life evolved on our green planet.
The larva belongs to a species classified as Youti Yuanshi, a prehistoric arthropod, whose current ancestores include insects, centipedes and crabs.
Youti is believed to have lived on the ocean floor during the Cambrian period.
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At four millimetres long, the larva fossil discovered in China's Yu’anshan Formation is smaller than a grain of rice.
Its internal structure was revealed in fine detail through X-ray computed tomography.
The larva had a pair of tiny legs, a highly developed head, a complex brain and a digestive tract, the Natural History Museum said in a release.
The larva's organ systems "are preserved in 3D, offering a remarkable comparison to the carbonaceous compression fossils found in the Burgess Shale [in Canada]," said
Emma Long, co-lead author of the study which was published in Nature journal. "Youti provides a framework for interpreting these flattened fossils, enabling us to better understand the complex organ systems of these early animals".
(With inputs from agencies)
