Zoo Hatches Endangered Crocodiles

Good Morning! Another Monday, another Good News update to start your week off right and bright! We have wonderful news about the first marine national park in Spain, a device that helps kids with birth defects breathe better, and a zoo in Texas making history after breeding an endangered crocodile!

May these snippets of positivity fuel your tank and keep you optimistic for the rest of the week!

• 🧠 520-Million-Year-Old Larva Discovered

• 🐟 Spain to Declare Its First Marine National Park

• 👶 Device Helping Kids With Birth Defects Breathe

• ⚽ AC Milan Implementing Innovative Maternity Policy

• 🐊 Zoo Hatches Endangered Crocodiles

SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES 🔭

520-Million-Year-Old Larva Discovered With Own Brain & Guts

• Fossil of worm larva dates back to 520 million years

• Internal structures fully intact

• These discoveries are incredibly rare

• Anatomy can teach us how spiders and insects evolved on our planet

Fossils are always incredible finds. They offer us a glimpse of life on Earth long before we humans evolved. That is why a recent discovery in China has the science community buzzing! A rare fossil of a baby worm the size of a sesame seed was found in a rock dating back to the Cambrian period around 520 million years ago. The larva is part of an entirely new species of arthropods — think spiders, crabs and insects — called Youti yuanshi. Best of all, it’s been perfectly preserved with its internal structures intact. Using 3D imaging, the fossil shows amazing details of its inner anatomy, including its brain, digestive glands and nervous system.

This new species is regarded as the ancestor of today’s arthropods. By dissecting and learning about this ancient worm, scientists can better understand how life evolved for Earth’s creepy crawlies. For instance, while this primitive worm has a simpler structure than its descendants, it has the first signs of what their brains and guts look like today!

Fossilized larvae are almost impossible to find because they are both tiny and fragile, making them difficult for paleontologists to dig up. The fact that this particular fossil avoided decay for half a billion years truly makes it a rare and one-of-a-kind discovery!

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