A 319-million-year-old fossilised fish, pulled from a coal mine in England more than a century ago, has revealed the oldest example of a well-preserved vertebrate brain, researchers say.Scans reveal the skull of the creature contains a brain and nerves at the back of the brain that are roughly one inch long.University of Birmingham and University of Michigan (USA) scientists believe the discovery opens a window into the make-up of the brain and nervous system, and early evolution of a major group of fish alive today – ray-finned fishes.The findings shed new light into the preservation of soft parts in fossils of backboned animals, the researchers suggest.B-roll 3D graphic of the fossil.Source: PA, University of Michigan
