Flipping a famous fossil around reveals our earliest vertebrate ancestor, scientists say

  • 📰 cnnbrk
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 23 sec. here
  • 2 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 13%
  • Publisher: 55%

United States Headlines News

United States Latest News,United States Headlines

Researchers have long puzzled over the peculiar innards of an ancient sea creature. A new study says scientists were looking at the Pikaia fossil the wrong way.

An extinct ribbonlike sea creature about the size of a human hand was one of the earliest animals to evolve a precursor of a backbone. Scientists recently identified the animal’s nerve cord by using a topsy-turvy twist. They turned its fossils upside down. Paleontologist Charles Doolittle Wolcott first encountered fossils of Pikaia in the Burgess Shale deposits of British Columbia, dating to 508 million years ago, and described them in a 1911 treatise. The animal measured roughly 6.

For one, there was the enigma of what scientists had believed was the dorsal organ’s position. Its placement — near what was supposedly Pikaia’s back — seemingly ruled out the possibility that the organ could be a gut. Once Pikaia was flipped upside down, however, the organ’s location and features made more sense anatomically. It broadened and extended into the animal’s pharynx, the throat region where a gut typically connects to a mouth.

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 393. in US

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

New research suggests prior studies of ancient sea creature Pikaia had it upside downA team of marine biologists, Earth scientists and evolutionary specialists affiliated with several institutions in the U.K., has found that prior researchers studying a fossil of an ancient sea creature called Pikaia were looking at it upside down.
Source: physorg_com - 🏆 388. / 55 Read more »

Florida Gators Working on Flipping Auburn Commitment Jakaleb FaulkThe Florida Gators have a few obstacles to overcome in recruiting 4-star Jakaleb Faulk, but it might not be as hard as one might think.
Source: SInow - 🏆 273. / 63 Read more »

Patek Philippe Is Not Happy With Sylvester Stallone for Flipping That $5.4 Million Grand Master ChimeSotheby's sold Stallone's Grand Master Chime and broke a record for the most expensive modern watch the house has ever hammered. Now Patek is angry.
Source: RobbReport - 🏆 309. / 63 Read more »

What's behind the wide receiver revolution flipping the NFL marketplace?Led by Justin Jefferson, five of the top eight highest-paid non-quarterbacks are now receivers. What are the reasons for this seismic shift?
Source: FOXSports - 🏆 280. / 63 Read more »

15-year-old accused of reckless driving, flipping off drivers, fleeing police: Westlake Police BlotterA Caller at 9:20 p.m. on May 30 reported a reckless driver at Crocker Park who was speeding and flipping off other drivers. Officers located the described vehicle, observed dangerous driving, and attempted to stop it on Crocker Road. The driver fled in the vehicle.
Source: clevelanddotcom - 🏆 301. / 63 Read more »

Liwei Liao: Fishmonger flipping the scriptLiwei Liao meticulously dry ages fish in climate-controlled refrigerators, extending shelf life by weeks and reducing food waste.
Source: latimes - 🏆 11. / 82 Read more »