University of Arizona discovered the fossils of extinct creature with well-preserved structures of the ancient brain. This is reported in the article published in the journal Current Biology.
Petrified remains belonged to Leanheliya – extinct family of arthropods who lived in the Cambrian period (541-485 million years ago). Experts confirmed the presence of an extreme frontal brain area, which is not segmented and invisible in modern adult arthropods. As adulthood, it gives rise to several important neural centers in the brain who participate in decision-making and memory formation.
Specialists assumed that this frontal area called PrisoceRebrum differs from the front, middle and rear brains observed in modern arthropods. Nakhodka proves that the front of the brain existed half a billion years ago and structurally differed from the later segmented ganglia that appeared later, which correspond to the front, middle and rear brains. These three ganglium form a solid mass, hiding their evolutionary origin of both segmented structures.
Many arthropods, including insects and crustaceans, there is a distinctive pair of faceted complex eyes and another set of more primitive, simple eyes. More simple eyes correspond to the front eyes from Leanchoilia. LEANCHOILIA side eyes belong to Protocerebrum, segmental ganglia, determining the front brain of arthropods, lying immediately for Prosocerbrum. The modern artistic protocerebraum is complex eyes of insects and crustaceans. He “swallowed” more ancient Prosocerbrum, so the latter can no longer be distinguished as a separate anatomical unit.