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Every now and again, our planet ponies up a fossil so spectacular that almost all you can do is gape in wonder.
Such is the fossil of a sesame-seed-sized baby worm discovered encased in rock in China. Hailing from the Cambrian period some 520 million years ago, the larva represents a whole new genus and species ofSuch a small speck of rock might be easily overlooked, but this remarkable fossil has been almost perfectly preserved with its internal anatomy intact. And it represents a species ancestral to the arthropods that teem all over our planet today – spiders, crabs, and insects.
Although no bigger than just a few millimeters in size, the fossil itself is spectacularly detailed. Its exterior has a textured skin, head, and legs. And, on the inside, X-ray computed tomography revealed its intact internal anatomy. That includes the larva's brain, digestive glands, circulatory system, and nervous system.of the University of Strathclyde in the UK,"but in this incredible tiny larva, natural fossilization has achieved almost perfect preservation.
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