By: Ivan Wang

Recently, in China, a fossil of a baby insect whose species is named Youti Yuanshi was discovered. Youti Yuanshi is an early relative of arthropods, that has been preserved for 520 million years. However, what makes it so special is that the organs of this fossil are practically untouched.

This is incredibly rare and scientists describe it as an almost impossible discovery. This is because there is a very small chance for a creature so small to be preserved so perfectly.

The discovery will also help scientist’s research as there aren’t many young fossils of bugs in the world and it will help them understand how insects are able to develop such complex systems.

The people that discovered this fossil can look at its insides by using intense beams of lights to map out the inside of the fossil and study it using that model.

The leader of the team, Dr. Smith, says that, “I already knew that this simple worm-like fossil was something special, but when I saw the amazing structures preserved under its skin, my jaw just dropped – how could these intricate features have avoided decay and still be here to see half a billion years later?”.

In short, Dr. Smith’s team has uncovered an extremely rare baby fossil of a worm. Not only that, but the fossil’s inner organs are almost perfectly preserved which is also incredibly rare. This discovery will also greatly help scientists in the field of evolution because it will help them understand said evolution of bugs.

Sources Used: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/articles/c903zxvq19lo