Scientists Recreate Head of Largest Ancient Bug
2024-10-17
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1The largest bug to ever live was about 2.6 meters long and had many legs.
2However, the look and shape of its head remained a mystery until now.
3The fossils of these creatures are often headless shells.
4When bugs drop their shells, a process called shedding, they move out of the head opening, leaving behind their exoskeleton but very little of the head.
5Recently, scientists solved that mystery by re-creating the creature's head.
6They were able to do this after studying complete and well-kept fossils of younger bugs.
7The researchers published the new findings on October 10 in Science Advances.
8What did the heads look like?
9The huge bug's head was round with two short bell-shaped antennae.
10It had two eyes that stuck out like crab's eyes.
11Its mouth was fairly small and made for eating leaves and the outer covering of trees.
12Its name is Arthropleura.
13This bug belonged to a group of crabs, spiders and insects called arthropods.
14But the bug was much, much bigger.
15It could grow as big as 2.6 meters and weigh as much as 50 kilograms.
16The co-writer of the study is Mickael Lheritier.
17He is a paleobiologist at the University Claude Bernard Lyon in Villeurbanne, France.
18He said, "We discovered that it had the body of a millipede, but head of a centipede."
19This large Arthropleura may have been the biggest bug to ever live.
20Although, not all scientists agree.
21Some say Arthropleura may be a close second to an extinct giant sea scorpion.
22Researchers in Europe and North America have been collecting pieces and footprints of the huge bugs since the late 1800s.
23"We have been wanting to see what the head of this animal looked like for a really long time," said James Lamsdell.
24He is a paleobiologist at West Virginia University and was not involved in the study.
25To produce a model of the head, researchers first used CT scans to study full-body fossils of younger bugs.
26These fossils were found in a French coal field in the 1980s.
27This method permitted researchers to look closely for "hidden details like bits of the head" still in the rock without hurting the fossil, Lamsdell said.
28The fossils are easily broken.
29He added that when you dig in the rock to remove the fossil, you do not know what part of the fossil "may have been lost or damaged."
30The fossils of younger bugs only measured about 6 centimeters.
31And it is possible they were a kind of Arthropleura that did not grow to a really large size.
32But still, researchers said they are close enough to the huge Arthropleura to provide a picture of what adults looked like when they were alive 300 million years ago.
33I'm Anna Matteo.
1The largest bug to ever live was about 2.6 meters long and had many legs. However, the look and shape of its head remained a mystery until now. 2The fossils of these creatures are often headless shells. When bugs drop their shells, a process called shedding, they move out of the head opening, leaving behind their exoskeleton but very little of the head. 3Recently, scientists solved that mystery by re-creating the creature's head. They were able to do this after studying complete and well-kept fossils of younger bugs. The researchers published the new findings on October 10 in Science Advances. 4What did the heads look like? 5The huge bug's head was round with two short bell-shaped antennae. It had two eyes that stuck out like crab's eyes. Its mouth was fairly small and made for eating leaves and the outer covering of trees. 6Its name is Arthropleura. This bug belonged to a group of crabs, spiders and insects called arthropods. But the bug was much, much bigger. It could grow as big as 2.6 meters and weigh as much as 50 kilograms. 7The co-writer of the study is Mickael Lheritier. He is a paleobiologist at the University Claude Bernard Lyon in Villeurbanne, France. He said, "We discovered that it had the body of a millipede, but head of a centipede." 8This large Arthropleura may have been the biggest bug to ever live. Although, not all scientists agree. Some say Arthropleura may be a close second to an extinct giant sea scorpion. 9Researchers in Europe and North America have been collecting pieces and footprints of the huge bugs since the late 1800s. 10"We have been wanting to see what the head of this animal looked like for a really long time," said James Lamsdell. He is a paleobiologist at West Virginia University and was not involved in the study. 11To produce a model of the head, researchers first used CT scans to study full-body fossils of younger bugs. These fossils were found in a French coal field in the 1980s. 12This method permitted researchers to look closely for "hidden details like bits of the head" still in the rock without hurting the fossil, Lamsdell said. 13The fossils are easily broken. He added that when you dig in the rock to remove the fossil, you do not know what part of the fossil "may have been lost or damaged." 14The fossils of younger bugs only measured about 6 centimeters. And it is possible they were a kind of Arthropleura that did not grow to a really large size. 15But still, researchers said they are close enough to the huge Arthropleura to provide a picture of what adults looked like when they were alive 300 million years ago. 16I'm Anna Matteo. 17Christina Larson reported this story for the Associated Press. Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English. 18______________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20fossil -n. a trace or print or the remains of a plant or animal of a past age preserved in earth or rock 21exoskeleton -n. a hard supporting or protective structure (as of an insect, spider, or crustacean) on the outside of the body 22antenna -n. one of a pair of slender movable organs of sensation on the head of an arthropod (as an insect or a crab) that are made up of segments 23paleobiologist -n. a branch of paleontology concerned with the biology of fossil organisms 24extinct -adj. no longer existing 25CT scan -n. cross-sectional, three-dimensional image of an internal body part produced by computed tomography chiefly for diagnostic purposes 26bit -n. a small piece or amount 27We want to hear from you. Do you have a similar expression in your language? In the Comments section, you can also practice using any of the expressions from the story. Our comment policy is here.