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American scientists discovered in the state of New York, a rare fossil, the age of which is 450 million years, belongs to a species of arthropod new to science - Lomankus edgecombei, preserved in the mineral pyrite, or the so-called "fool's gold".
The ancient organism discovered in the "golden" mineral belongs to the group of megacheira (Megacheira) - extinct arthropods, known for their modified front limbs, which were used, as researchers assume, not for hunting, but for exploring the environment. The species got its name in honor of the famous arthropodologist Greg Edgecombe and is an important discovery, because the preserved tissues allow a detailed study of the structure of the body of this creature.
The Lomankus edgecombei fossil has unique properties due to its replacement by pyrite. In an acidic environment with a low oxygen content, the tissues of the body were preserved thanks to the replacement of this mineral, which looks like gold. Usually, the complete replacement of organic tissues by pyrite is extremely rare, since this process requires specific conditions that do not often occur in nature. This level of preservation is exceptional, as it allows you to see even the soft parts of the body that are usually destroyed during fossilization.
Lomankus edgecombei demonstrates the evolutionary adaptation of arthropods to a variety of living conditions, using the forelimbs as a "biological Swiss army knife" to find food and navigate in the aquatic environment. Megahairs inhabited the planet widely during the Cambrian period, but the discovery of this representative in the sediments of the Ordovician period indicates that these creatures continued to evolve and persisted longer than scientists previously thought.
This discovery is important for understanding the evolutionary process, as it sheds light on the adaptive mechanisms of ancient organisms. The use of pyrite for preservation preserves details that would normally be destroyed during normal fossilization, opening up new opportunities for studying the anatomy and function of prehistoric creatures.
