Oldest preserved vertebrate brain found in 319-million-year-old fish fossil
Artist's interpretation of a remarkable 319-million-year-old fish that preserves the earliest fossilized brain of a backboned animal. (Márcio L. Castro)
Share
The oldest preserved vertebrate brain has been found in a 319-million-year-old fossilized fish skull that was removed from an English coal mine over a century ago.
Revealed by a CT scan in a study led by University of Michigan researchers, the roughly inch-long brain and cranial nerves belonged to an extinct member of the large ray-finned fishes group, which today includes species like tuna, salmon, goldfish and cod.
"Here we've found remarkable preservation in a fossil examined several times before by multiple people over the past century," senior author and University of Michigan paleontologist Matt Friedman said in a news release. "But because we have these new tools for looking inside of fossils, it reveals another layer of information to us."
Friedman, who is also the director of his university's Museum of Paleontology, says the unexpected discovery was made with a micro-CT scanner, which can provide detailed internal images just like the larger medical CT scanners found in hospitals and clinics.
"I scanned it, then I loaded the data into the software we use to visualize these scans and noticed that there was an unusual, distinct object inside the skull," Friedman recalled. "It is common to see amorphous mineral growths in fossils, but this object had a clearly defined structure."
The object was brighter on the CT image than the surrounding bone or rock, meaning it was likely denser. It also had characteristics resembling the brains found in vertebrates, which are animals with spines.
"It had all these features, and I said to myself, 'Is this really a brain that I'm looking at?'" Friedman said. "So I zoomed in on that region of the skull to make a second, higher-resolution scan, and it was very clear that that's exactly what it had to be. And it was only because this was such an unambiguous example that we decided to take it further."
The fossil was discovered in a layer of soapstone at a coal mine in Lancashire in North West England and was first scientifically described in 1925. The only known specimen of its species, Coccocephalus wildi likely lived in an estuary, where it could have dined on aquatic insects, small crustaceans and other invertebrates, like the ancestors of squid and snails. Although only its skull was found, scientists believe the fish would have been about 15 to 20 centimetres long. Its jaw shape and teeth show it was probably a carnivore.
After the fish died, researchers say it was likely quickly buried in sediments with little oxygen; an environment that can slow the decomposition of soft tissue. The animal's brain would have then been replaced during fossilization with a dense mineral that preserved its three-dimensional structure in exceptional detail.
"An important conclusion is that these kinds of soft parts can be preserved, and they may be preserved in fossils that we've had for a long time—this is a fossil that's been known for over 100 years," Friedman said. "There seems to be, inside this tightly enclosed void in the skull, a little micro-environment that is conducive to the replacement of those soft parts with some kind of mineral phase, capturing the shape of tissues that would otherwise simply decay away."
The discovery also sheds light on the evolution of ray-finned fishes, which have web-like fins supported by bony spines and represent about half of all living vertebrate species.
"Not only does this superficially unimpressive and small fossil show us the oldest example of a fossilized vertebrate brain, but it also shows that much of what we thought about brain evolution from living species alone will need reworking," the study's lead author, University of Michigan doctoral student Rodrigo Figueroa, said in the news release. "With the widespread availability of modern imaging techniques, I would not be surprised if we find that fossil brains and other soft parts are much more common than we previously thought. From now on, our research group and others will look at fossil fish heads with a new and different perspective."
Friedman and Figueroa both think their work highlights the need to preserve previously discovered fossils for future study.
"That's why holding onto the physical specimens is so important," Friedman said. "Because who knows, in 100 years, what people might be able to do with the fossils in our collections now."
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
The Ontario government says it will be raising the speed limit along certain stretches of provincial highways soon, including Highway 401 and Highway 403.
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
A global treaty to end plastic waste will not be ambitious enough if it does not include some limits on plastic production, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said Tuesday as the fourth round of negotiations kicked off in Ottawa.
Greece's parliamentary speaker said that he would seek criminal charges against a lawmaker who allegedly punched a colleague during a debate on Wednesday.
Australian police arrested seven teenagers accused of following a violent extremist ideology in raids across Sydney on Wednesday, as a judge extended a ban on social media platform X sharing video of a knife attack on a bishop that started the criminal investigation.
Several military horses bolted during routine exercises near King Charles III's main residence in London on Wednesday and ran loose through the centre of the city, injuring at least four people and colliding with vehicles during the morning rush hour.
The office of Canada's justice minister says the public should expect politicians to support their right to bail and to be presumed innocent - warning that 'immediate' and 'uninformed reactions' only worsens matters.
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday that it had found bird flu virus particles in some samples of pasteurized milk, but said commercial milk supply remains safe.
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
B.C.’s premier and one of his top lieutenants are pushing back against allegations by the Official Opposition that he covertly commissioned a report into the diversion of safe supply drugs onto the streets.
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Close flybys of Io, one of Jupiter’s moons and the most volcanically active world in our solar system, have revealed a lava lake and a towering feature called 'Steeple Mountain' on the moon's alien surface.
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
The defence attorney representing a former Los Angeles-area gang leader accused of killing music legend Tupac Shakur in 1996 in Las Vegas says his client’s accounts of the killing are fiction.
Tesla's first-quarter net income plummeted 55 per cent as falling global sales and price cuts sliced into the electric vehicle maker's revenue and profit margins.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
As a young hockey player growing up in North Vancouver, Colton Sissons was a die-hard Canucks fan. Twelve years after being drafted by Nashville, the Predators centre is facing off against the Canucks during the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in his career.
A made-in-China electric vehicle will hit North American dealers this summer offering power and efficiency similar to the Tesla Model Y, the world's best-selling EV, but for about US$8,000 less.
Tesla's first-quarter net income plummeted 55 per cent as falling global sales and price cuts sliced into the electric vehicle maker's revenue and profit margins.
Electric car sales will rise strongly in 2024 and increasingly undercut oil demand, the International Energy Agency forecast on Tuesday, adding affordability and charging infrastructure would be key to future growth.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Molly Knight, a Grade 4 student in Nova Scotia, noticed her school library did not have many books on female athletes, so she started her own book drive in hopes of changing that.
B.C.’s premier and one of his top lieutenants are pushing back against allegations by the Official Opposition that he covertly commissioned a report into the diversion of safe supply drugs onto the streets.
As a young hockey player growing up in North Vancouver, Colton Sissons was a die-hard Canucks fan. Twelve years after being drafted by Nashville, the Predators centre is facing off against the Canucks during the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in his career.
The Ontario government says it will be raising the speed limit along certain stretches of provincial highways soon, including Highway 401 and Highway 403.
Arrests have been made after five men were captured on video rampaging through a jewelry store in Toronto, waving weapons and smashing glass display cases.
Police in western Quebec are crediting an alert employee at a Chelsea, Que. bar for calling police to report an alleged impaired driver, who police say registered four times the legal limit on a breathalyzer test.
The Oilers announced a sellout crowd for their 7-4 win over Los Angeles on Monday that opened a first-round playoff series with the Kings. Unoccupied seats, however, were noticeable throughout the arena.
Halifax Regional Police has confirmed the identity of the teen who died following an incident in the parking lot of the Halifax Shopping Centre Monday.
A New Brunswick mom is speaking out for her son after learning that after over a decade of care, he is now too old for the IWK in Halifax, which age mandate is 16 years of age for children
Anyone who visits Assiniboine Park Zoo can see empty or near-empty exhibits scattered throughout the grounds – spaces that previously served as homes for aging animals that have since passed away.
The Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation said its members are "strongly encouraged" to attend one of two online town hall meetings scheduled to happen prior to a membership vote on a possible deal.
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Two people from southern Ontario are charged with drug and weapons offences following a traffic stop Monday evening in French River, a community near Greater Sudbury.
Deputy mayor Shawn Lewis sent colleagues a series of photographs taken of London Transit’s #7 bus travelling towards Clarke Road Secondary School on Tuesday morning. He supplied them as evidence that there’s enough unused capacity to fit more high school students on board.
When you see or hear an emergency vehicle approaching with lights and sirens on, quickly move your vehicle to the right side of the road to allow for safe passage. This includes pulling over to the right, even in the left lane.
Canada Border Services Agency is reminding all private boaters of their entry and reporting obligations when navigating Canadian waters or entering Canada by boat.
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
Search and rescue crews have been called in after a vehicle belonging to a missing senior was located near a rural intersection outside of Kelowna Tuesday.
Major crime detectives in British Columbia are investigating a suspected homicide after a body was found in a remote area southeast Kelowna over the weekend.
Wildfires in Alberta and B.C. appear to be getting off to an early start this year. Both province's wildfire services are doing what they can to prepare for what's expected to be a tough summer.
Newfoundlander Christian Sparkes has shot several films around his home province, but with his new psychological thriller 'The King Tide' he saw an opportunity to wander into one unique town that had eluded him over the years.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans says two people were found dead and four others survived after a boat capsized off the west coast of Newfoundland.