Worm One Of Human's Earliest Ancestors

Scientists have discovered one of human’s earliest ancestors – a four-inch long Xenoturbella churro, a weird pink worm.

17:54 04 February 2016

Scientists have discovered a 10cm-long weird pink worm named Xenoturbella churro – one of human’s earliest ancestors – 12,000 feet deep under the Gulf of California. It was named after a doughnut because it resembles a popular fried-dough pastry.

 

Scientists from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at California University in San Diego, the Western Australia Museum and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) worked together to properly identify the creature.

 

Xenoturbella was classified as flatworm in the 1990s and was regarded as a simplified mollusc. However, in recent years, it was considered either close to vertebrates and echinoderms. Experts say that having a better understanding as to where this creature came from will help us fully comprehend the evolution of organs such as guts, brains and kidneys in animals.

 

Scripps marine biologist Dr Greg Rouse said: "The findings have implications for how we understand animal evolution. By placing Xenoturbella properly in the tree of life we can better understand early animal evolution."