Brain Parts Found in Ancient Human Ancestor

[n2doc]

Electromagnetic radiation revealed parts of the 1.9-million-year-old brain, as well as eggs of insects that fed on it.

By Jennifer Viegas | Mon Apr 12, 2010 08:01 AM ET

Remains of a 1.9-million-year-old human ancestor are so well preserved that they may contain a remnant of the male individual's brain, according to the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble, France, where the remains were recently examined.

While DNA is very fragile and deteriorates over time, the discovery opens up the remote possibility that soft tissue with preserved DNA still exists in the prehistoric hominid, which could hold an important place on the human family tree.

The examination also turned up what seemed to be fossilized insect eggs, according to scientists. They said larvae from the eggs could have fed on the flesh of the human ancestor, Australopithecus sediba, right after his death.

While gazing at the hominid's skull as it was being studied with a powerful electromagnetic radiation X-ray process, project leader Lee Berger said he and his team were seeing "structures we can't even imagine in a way that's quite literally unprecedented in paleontological sciences."


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http://news.discovery.com/human/brain-human-ancestor-sk...

[lazarus]

1. brains

[jberryhill]

9. brains

[Cronus Protagonist]

2. Clone him!

I know an insurance company that would pay millions to use him in an ad campaign...

[jobycom]

3. 10 points to the best Palin/McCain joke. nt

[hlthe2b]

4. Palin running mate...

[Beam Me Up]

6. Palintology or Palinontology? n/t

[matt819]

5. I was going to go with brain parts mysteriously found in teabaggers (nt)

[formercia]

7. McCain still holds seniority.

The living fossil.

[jberryhill]

8. The brain eating insects won....

Most people don't realize that the "human brain" is really a parasite that replaced another cranial organ entirely quite far back in our evolutionary history.