![]() ![]() But as an expert on the evolution of vision, Schoenemann noticed something unusual about it. “And so I bought one.” Perhaps the fossil would have just been a collector’s item for someone else. “I always liked these nice Aulacopleura trilobites, with their big heads and big eyes,” says paleontologist Brigitte Schoenemann of the University of Cologne in Germany. And given how common trilobites were in ancient seas, studying their evolutionary history can offer deep insights into life in our planet’s oceans. They proliferated for millions of years more, ranging from sizes smaller than a button to bigger than a dinner plate, before going extinct about 252 million years ago. ![]() These early animals, characterized by the “three lobes” of their exoskeletal body, first appeared about 521 million years ago, during the biodiversity spike called the Cambrian explosion. Trilobites are one of evolution’s greatest success stories. ![]() In the case of one particular 429-million-year-old trilobite-an extinct arthropod that looked like a big version of a wood louse-a crack in just the right place has allowed paleontologists to see the world through the creature’s eyes. Some of the more salient secrets of ancient life are locked inside fossils, and lucky breaks can reveal internal details that may otherwise remain hidden. Perfectly pristine fossils might make great museum showpieces, but they are not always the most informative for paleontologists. ![]()
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