A New Species Discovered in Cambrian Slate in China, Preserved Better than Egyptian Mummies.
Named Youti yuanshi, this peculiar organism unearthed in China has emerged as a completely new species belonging to an entirely new genus of arthropods. It is a unique fossil.
The peculiar organism found in Yunnan Province, China, has a perfectly preserved anatomical structure – (Photo: NATURE).
Typically, fossils discovered are mainly skeletons of large creatures, such as dinosaurs.
In rare instances, scientists have collected specimens that fortuitously preserved soft tissues. These are invaluable treasures.
Youti yuanshi astonishes even more due to its completely intact soft body, preserved from the inside out, with even the brain remaining intact.
This tiny organism—about the size of a sesame seed—is 520 million years old, dating back to the Cambrian period.
Moreover, it is a larva, a very rare type of fossil that paleontologists have always dreamed of discovering.
The unique fossil’s appearance – (Photo: NATURE).
Science Alert quotes lead author Martin Smith from Durham University (UK), stating: “When dreaming of a fossil I would like to explore, I always think of an arthropod larva, as developmental data plays a crucial role in understanding their evolutionary processes.”
The study involved several co-authors from both Durham University and Yunnan University.
This unique three-dimensional fossil was found in a shale block from the Yu’anshan formation in Yunnan, long recognized as a fossil treasure trove.
The tiny organism was carefully extracted using acetic acid and then scanned at high resolution to reveal its internal structure.
These steps show that the inside of this worm-like creature is generally simpler compared to the complex bodies of modern arthropods, yet it exhibits signs of the fundamental anatomical structures of this animal phylum.
In addition, the circulatory and digestive anatomical structures of Y. yuanshi provide significant data regarding the later development of arthropod characteristics.
“Although the Youti yuanshi fossil is just a tiny object in your hand, its discovery is of great significance for our understanding of life on Earth,” the publication in the scientific journal Nature asserts.
