A new study shows that the ancestors of annelids were 200 million years older than we thought and had surprisingly complex bodies.
Previously, researchers believed that the ringed people were late to the “party” on the occasion of the Cambrian explosion. But it seems that scientists have been wrong all this time, apparently these tiny creatures not only missed the Cambrian explosion, but also had much more complex bodies, writes IFL Science.
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The researchers point out that annelids are actually one of the largest and most successful species living on the planet today. Curiously, members of this species dominated both terrestrial and marine ecosystems, and current analyzes suggest annelids appeared several hundred million years earlier than scientists previously thought.
In a new study, scientists examined the ringed fossils of Iotuba chengjiangensis, one of the oldest and best preserved specimens. It is interesting that this ancient one is about 515 million years old, which means that the strange worms appeared on Earth at least 200 million years earlier than we thought.
The study’s author, Dr. Durham University’s Department of Earth Sciences. According to Martin Smith, scientists after examining fossils of the ancient worm discovered that it had a complex digestive system and kidneys, giving scientists the idea that its structure was actually highly advanced. complicated. The researchers hypothesized that, first, the ringed individuals did not miss the Cambrian explosion as previously thought, and second, that their body organization was very complex.
Smith notes that scientists knew that the main lifelines we know today emerged during the Cambrian explosion, but from the beginning, scientists mistakenly thought annelids “missed the party.” Scientists believed that their main subgroups began to diversify only after about 200 million years.
However, the study of a new specimen made its own adjustments to this picture of the world. Now, scientists believe, along with Smith, that the ancestors of the ringed people seemed to follow a pattern of events triggered by the Cambrian explosion. In fact, “they were never late for this party, they just hid in the room.”
Smith notes that the discovery of this ancient ancestor of annelids suggests that there are many different lineages that scientists have yet to discover.
Previously Focus He wrote that unicorns were discovered in China: they have lost their eyes and live only in dark waters.
Source: Focus
Ashley Fitzgerald is an accomplished journalist in the field of technology. She currently works as a writer at 24 news breaker. With a deep understanding of the latest technology developments, Ashley’s writing provides readers with insightful analysis and unique perspectives on the industry.