Science

Scientists see fossilised heart of 380-million-year-old fish

17:50 pm on 16 September 2022

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Aussie fossil hunters have made a heart stopping discovery: a 380-million-year-old preserved pre-historic fish with its ticker still intact.

The remains of the extinct fish known as a placoderm were found in remote western Australia, inland from beach resort of Broome.

It's quite the find. Normally it's bones rather than soft tissue that turns into fossil. The discovery of the internal organs was only made possible by advanced imaging equipment, which allows researchers to see inside the rock-encased fossils.

Paleontologist Professor John Long was on the team that made the discovery.