520-Million-Year-Old Arthropod Brain Reveals New Evidence On Fossilized Brain

Researchers have discovered a set of 520-million-year-old arthropod brains, which is the oldest pieces of evidence proving that brains can become fossilized, according to a study at the University of Arizona.

Scientists have debated for ages that brains cannot fossilize, however, the new study is the first to provide sufficient evidence that the brain does fossilize.

"It was questioned by many paleontologists, who thought - and in fact some claimed in print - that maybe it was just an artifact or a one-off, implausible fossilization event," Nicholas Strausfeld, lead author of the study, said in a news release.

Strausfeld and his team of researchers assessed seven fossils belonging to the same species, where a brain was found in each sample. The species was identified as Fuxianhuia protensa (F. protensa), which is an extinct arthropod found on the seafloor 520 million years ago. The fossil may have looked like a simple shrimp and its well preserved brain looked a lot like a modern crustacean's brain, according to the researchers.

The fossilized brains were as flat as carbon films, with a layer of tiny iron pyrite crystals. This allowed the researchers to have a better understanding of how and why neural tissue fossilizes.

The researchers presume that sample F. protensa was buried by rapid mudslides, which allowed it to become fossilized. The pressure from the layer of mud would have sucked the water out of F. protensa's tissues, which would have flattened and preserved it.

"During this process, the brain maintains its overall integrity leading to its gradual flattening and preservation, F. protensa's tissue density appears to have made all the difference," said Strausfeld. "People, especially scientists, make assumptions. The fun thing about science, actually, is to demolish them. "

The findings of this study were published in Current Biology.

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