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Monday, November 23, 2009

Photo: Oldest Live-Birth Fossil Found; Fish Had Umbilical Cord


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A remarkably well-preserved fossil dating from between 375 to 380 million years ago shows an embryo connected to a mother by an umbilical cord, as seen in an artist's rendering (above).

The fossil (bottom), was found in the Australian outback and is the earliest evidence of a vertebrate mother giving birth to live young—shifting back the date some 200 million years, a new study found.

Images courtesy Museum Victoria