World's oldest vertebrate brain found in 319-million-year-old fossil(1/3)

Photo released on Feb. 8, 2023 shows a fossilized skull of an early ray-finned fish that swam in an estuary 319 million years ago. (Photo/ICphoto)

The CT-scanned skull of the 319-million-year-old fossilized fish, pulled from a coal mine in England more than a century ago, has revealed the oldest example of a well-preserved vertebrate brain.

Photo released on Feb. 8, 2023 shows the fossilized brain and associated structures of a 319-million-year-old fossilized fish. The brain and cranial nerves appear bright white in the center of the images. (Photo/ICphoto)

Photo released on Feb. 8, 2023 shows the artist's interpretation of a remarkable 319-million-year-old fish that preserves the earliest fossilized brain of a backboned animal. (Photo/ICphoto)