An ancient shrimp-like animal already had an elaborate cardiovascular system.
Scientists last week said they have discovered the fossil of a shrimp-like creature they believe lived “520 million” years ago and which displays the oldest-known cardiovascular system. The “primitive” arthropod, named Fuxianhuia protensa, dates from the Cambrian Explosion,“ a period of time when all major body plans or phyla suddenly appeared in the fossil record.
"It is an extremely rare and unusual case that such a delicate organ system can be preserved in one of the oldest fossils and in exquisite detail," said paleontologist Xiaoya Ma of the Natural History Museum in London, one of the researchers in the study. Usually the soft parts of an animal’s body will decay after death and only hard parts like bones, teeth and shells will be preserved. "However, under very exceptionally circumstances, soft tissue and anatomical organ systems can also be preserved in fossils," Ma said.
The fact the internal structures of the creature were so beautifully preserved points to a calamity that claimed its life. "These fossils are likely to be a consequence of sudden entombment - a sort of Pompeii event, though not of lava but an underwater mudslide or massive and sudden dust fall-out," said U. of Arizona neuroscientist Nicholas Strausfeld, another of the researchers.
The Fuxianhuia protensa fossil shows a tubular heart in the middle of its body and a rich, elaborate system of blood vessels leading to the creature’s eyes, antennae, brain and legs. The discovery confirms that even some of the “earliest creatures” resembled their relatives which are alive today, say the researchers. "It shows that already 520 million years ago, such a system had evolved considerable complexity, particularly with respect to the rich vascularization in the head,” Strausfeld pointed out.
Probably without realizing they were doing it, these researchers are supporting in several ways what creationist scientists have been saying for decades. The evolutionist idea that over millions of years so-called primitive and simple animals evolved into more complex creatures is betrayed by discoveries such as this one. This so-called primitive animal already had a ingeniously designed cardiovascular system. It is reminiscent of other “ancient” animals such as the trilobite, which had eyes that were even more complex and wonderful than our own.
The researchers also reminded us of the Cambrian explosion, the hard-to-explain (from an evolutionist viewpoint) sudden appearance in the fossil record of all major body types with scant little in the way of fossil evidence of anything that could be considered the ancestors of these animals. The easiest way to explain the so-called Cambrian explosion is a global flood that buried all these animals in a single event.
Also giving credibility to the idea of a global flood is the admission that a sudden entombment is necessary for soft tissue to be preserved. If we had only a handful of fossils fitting this description, a rare local event or two might be a reasonable answer. But fossils showing evidence of soft tissue or sudden entombment are widespread all around the world, thus suggesting a global calamity on the order of Noah’s flood. Mr. Strausfeld came so close to saying this, but, of course, he couldn’t, even if he wanted to, in order to remain true to his evolutionist beliefs.
These discoveries of complexity already early in history and of ancient creatures or structures looking so similar to the creatures and structures of today strongly imply that there has been no evolution. The Creator from the beginning gave the original parents of all types of creatures complex systems. That there are so many living fossils along with a serious lack of confirmed transitional fossils strongly suggest evolution of one type of creature into a completely different type has not happened.
One wonders why scientists like those mentioned in this story do not apparently even think about the many contradictions they find to their secular theories of origins. If they would only open their minds to what their eyes are telling them, perhaps they might yet be led to discover the truth of how all the creatures including humans have gotten here. This truth along with the truth about the way to eternal life in heaven is described in God’s book, the Holy Bible. These scientists then would not be surprised so often by their discoveries, and much more importantly, they would not be surprised when they stand before Jesus on the Last Day.
To believers in Jesus as their Lord and Savior, He will say, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world” (Matthew 25:34). To those who have rejected Jesus, He will say, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41).
Reference: Will Dunham, “Sea creature fossil found with oldest-known cardiovascular system,” Yahoo News / Reuters.
(Photograph of Fuxianhuia protensa from Wikipedia, by Grahbudd)
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QUESTION OF THE DAY
What bird holds the record for the fastest level flight?
The Grey-Headed Albatross. A French and British team of researchers working in the sub-Antarctic once recorded a satellite-tagged grey-headed albatross flying at speeds up to 78.9 mph (127 km/h) and able to sustain that speed for more than 8 hours.
Source: Guinness World Records
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