September
19
/ 2022
"A mind-boggling, jaw-dropping” 380-million-year-old fossilized heart has been discovered in Western Australia, preserved inside a now extinct prehistoric fish known as the Gogo. The Gogo Station fossil site located near Kimberley has unique minerals that have acted to “preserve” the fish’s fossilized heart, the oldest heart ever found so far. This is exceptionally rare in the world of fossils as it is usually bones that become fossils not internal organs. The Gogo fossilized heart discovery has provided a crucial window into understanding the process of evolution, showing the early evolution of body plans. The presence of the backbone on this jawed fish represents an evolutionary step towards a body plan not found in most animals with a backbone today including
