Credit: UNILA PhD student at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, with the support of a CNRS researcher, has actually discovered a fossil that bridges the evolutionary space between modern species like scorpions, spiders, and horseshoe crabs, and their ancient equivalents from the Cambrian duration, around 505 million years earlier. Together with his supervisors, he studied a hundred fossils dating back 478 million years from the Fezouata Shale of Morocco and determined the prospect that connects contemporary organisms to those of the Cambrian (505 million years ago). Some of its physiological functions enable for a much deeper understanding of the early evolution of the chelicerate group, and possibly even connect to this group other fossil kinds whose affinities stay highly debated.A short-term exhibition on the Fezouata biota, in collaboration with UNIL, will quickly be held at the Palais de Rumine in Lausanne, Switzerland.Fezouata landscape, where the fossils were found.
Scientists have actually found a key fossil that links modern-day chelicerates like spiders and scorpions to their ancient Cambrian ancestors, clarifying a significant space in the evolutionary history of these species. Credit: UNILA PhD student at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, with the support of a CNRS researcher, has actually found a fossil that bridges the evolutionary gap between modern species like scorpions, spiders, and horseshoe crabs, and their ancient counterparts from the Cambrian period, around 505 million years ago. Together with his supervisors, he studied a hundred fossils dating back 478 million years from the Fezouata Shale of Morocco and recognized the prospect that connects contemporary organisms to those of the Cambrian (505 million years ago). Some of its physiological functions allow for a deeper understanding of the early advancement of the chelicerate group, and possibly even connect to this group other fossil kinds whose affinities stay highly debated.A momentary exhibition on the Fezouata biota, in cooperation with UNIL, will soon be held at the Palais de Rumine in Lausanne, Switzerland.Fezouata landscape, where the fossils were found.