About the episode
Researchers have discovered a 380-million-year-old heart preserved in a fossilized prehistoric fish in Western Australia.
When they made the discovery, they almost fell off their chairs. The find is extremely interesting because the found heart tells us something about an important moment in the evolution of the blood pumping organ. Oh yes: and the possibility that something like this is preserved in a fossil is very small.
Thanks to the minerals in the soil, this happened in this case. The liver, stomach, and intestines of the fish – the first fish species to develop teeth and jaws – are also still there. For the first time now something can be said about the organs of such ancient animal species.
If you put the heart next to an image of our current heart, the two still look quite similar. The heart of this prehistoric fish was also surprisingly complex. For example, it had two chambers, just like ours, and the position in the body is also different from that of even older fish, which – the researchers believe – gave the animal all the advantages, such as increased stamina.
And so we have another piece of the complex puzzle that we humans and many other animals around the world once originated from.
Read more here: The oldest heart in the world found in prehistoric fish. Or here: The new research led by Curtin uncovers the heart of our evolution.
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