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Palaeontology

Cambrian nervous wrecks

Nature volume 490, pages 180–181 (2012)Cite this article

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Fossilized remains of an arthropod from the Cambrian period provide an unusual example of preservation of the brain and nervous system, and shed new light on when and how these tissues evolved. See Letter p.258

Even to palaeontologists, the fossil record can resemble the chaotic attic of an eccentric relative, stacked with ancient bric-a-brac of dubious usefulness. But the record has recently been throwing up some surprises that are bringing new order to this jumble. Our concept of dinosaurs, for example, has evolved from what were essentially bolted-together lumps of bone into living creatures covered in graceful feathers — and in colour too1. Other fossil finds have brought changes to the scale of our understanding of evolution. For example, the discovery of exceptionally well-preserved fossil muscle fibres throughout the record2 and fossilized embryos from at least the Cambrian period3, some 500 million years ago, have provided remarkable insight into the fine-scale evolution of these tissues and life stages. Now, on page 258 of this issue, Ma and colleagues4 describe preserved nervous tissue from the Cambrian — a find that grants palaeontologists access to the exclusive zoological club of those who study the brain and nervous system.

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  1. Graham E. Budd is in the Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, 75236 Uppsala, Sweden.,

    Graham E. Budd

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  1. Graham E. Budd
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Correspondence to Graham E. Budd.

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Budd, G. Cambrian nervous wrecks. Nature 490, 180–181 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/490180a

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