Scientists in New York State, USA, have discovered fossils of an ancient marine creature that lived 450 million years ago. This was reported by Zamin.uz.
This animal has been scientifically named Lomankus edgecombei. According to scientists, these animals lived on Earth in very ancient times, during the era of arthropods.
The most interesting aspect is that, although many paleontological finds have lost their shape due to pressure and time, these fossils have been preserved almost perfectly. Research indicates that parts of this creature's body were replaced by a metal called pyrite over millions of years.
The formation of pyrite is linked to the activity of special bacteria that become active in oxygen-free environments. According to Luke Perring, a paleobiologist at Oxford University, these bacteria break down organic matter and react the released gas with iron to form sulfide.
As a result, the external structure of the animal has been preserved in an ideal state. This discovery has allowed scientists to study the precise three-dimensional anatomical structure of organisms that lived in ancient times.
This helps to understand how, during the process of evolution, the additional legs of arthropods transformed into antennae, claws, or tooth-like organs. This discovery once again proved to humanity how complex and mysterious the history of life on Earth is.
