The source explained that the case is linked to the ‘Castle Bank’ excavation site near the Llandrindod Wells area of the Welsh county of Powys.
According to a research paper published in the journal Nature Ecology Evolution, the site is “distinguished because of the time period that reveals its details, and because the fossils found there show soft tissues such as eyes, nerves, intestines and brain preserved”. in the mud.”
The newspaper adds: “It was a critical period in the history of the planet, when there were no humans on Earth, but animals and algae thrived in the seas”, noting that the site ” provides an integrated picture of the diversity of life in the distant past.”
Study author Joseph Botting discovered a sponge at the site in 2013 and has collected similar fossils over the years, but has not conducted an in-depth survey of the site.
In April 2020, with the free time afforded by the fallout from the coronavirus, Botting returned to the dig site near his home and discovered some exciting new fossils.
“I didn’t sleep that night,” Joseph said. “Once you find that kind of soft tissue, you know anything can fossilize. So at that time, we knew it was going to be important. .”
The fossils date back to a period known as the Ordovician Period, when Earth was home to more diverse ecosystems.
Most of the 170 animals discovered so far at the fossil site were small (1 to 5 millimetres) and many had either completely soft bodies when alive or hard skinned.
According to CNN, the vast majority of these animals are completely unknown.
“There is no comparable site for the same time period. This is unique,” said study co-author Lucy Muir.
Read the Latest World News Today on The Eastern Herald.
