Research solves a 160-year-old mystery about the origin of skeletons
by HeritageDailyJuly 31, 20180499
A fossil heterostracan, Errivaspis waynensis, from the early Devonian (approximately 419 million years ago) of Herefordshire, UK. Credit : Image from Keating et al. 2018
Scientists at The University of Manchester and the University of Bristol have used powerful X-rays to peer inside the skeletons of some of our oldest vertebrate relatives, solving a 160-year-old mystery about the origin of our skeletons.
Living vertebrates have skeletons built from four different tissue types: bone and cartilage (the main tissues that human skeletons are made from), and dentine and enamel (the tissues from which our teeth are constructed). These tissues are unique because they become mineralised as they develop, giving the skeleton strength and rigidity.
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2018/07/research-solves-a-160-year-old-mystery-about-the-origin-of-skeletons/121233
