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Soft Tissue of 425 Million Year Old Animal Discovered in Tact

A crustacean that had been frozen for 425 million years has been discovered with flesh preserved in the U. K. It is one of only a handful of such fossils. Per the article:

The 0.4-inch-long animal was found, not only with its shell, but also with its soft parts -- body, limbs, eyes, gills and digestive system. Such well-preserved remains from that ultra prehistoric period are near unheard of in the fossil record....A paper describing specimens of the extremely rare species is in the latest Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

With global warming it seems that more such fossils could be found. Hope none of them contain pathogens that we have no immunity to.

http://news.discovery.com/animals/animals-body-preserved-for-425-mi...

Tags: Flesh Fossils, Fossils, Jubinsky, Pathogens

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Napoleon Bonaparte on December 13, 2012 at 4:28pm

It would be good if the fossils contained pathogens to which we have no immunity.

An effective culling of the human population is needed now to save other species and the natural environment.

The Cull

Permalink Reply by Pat on December 13, 2012 at 7:27pm

Napoleon, I wouldn't worry too much about ancient pathogens. Evolution of present pathogens will take care of human over population. Tuberculosis, the regions where bubonic plague is endemic, and even the common cold, will ultimately put homo sapiens back in their place. Only thing is that for me personally, I don't want to be a volunteer. Did I mention ebola?

Permalink Reply by Joan Denoo on December 14, 2012 at 1:58am