Ancient shrimp-like animals had 'modern' hearts and blood vessels
Monday, April 7, 2014 - 09:30
in Paleontology & Archaeology
In 520 million-year-old fossil deposits resembling an 'invertebrate version of Pompeii,' researchers have found an ancestor of modern crustaceans revealing the first-known cardiovascular system in exquisitely preserved detail. The organ system is surprisingly complex and adds to the notion that sophisticated body plans had already evolved more than half a billion years ago.