Interesting Science

The First Animals to Reach Land Had a Very Stiff Neck

The first animals to move from water onto land about 380 million years ago probably could barely turn their heads. Until now, scientists believed the neck developed so that these creatures could look around more freely. An international team combined new fossil evidence, experiments with living fish and computer models of ancient anatomy. The results, published on 14 October in the journal "Nature", show that the neck was very stiff. According to the researchers, it may have arisen during broader changes in the skeleton that allowed the front limbs to be used for movement. Tom Stewart, assistant professor of biology at Pennsylvania State University, notes that many of the skeletal changes of that time are still visible in our bodies.

Not covered in Armenian media (checked 12 November)