Nervous System of Man and Marine Worm Similar

The scientists have found that human nervous system evolved from lowly marine worm. In these small organism, the CNS (central nervous system) remained unchanged for millions of years! We know that vertebrates have spinal cords running along the back. In insects and worms, they have simple organs that barely resemble a brain. In their bellies, they have a cluster of nerves organized. Biologists have found these brains arose independently after the split in evolution.

German researchers at European Molecular Biology Laboratory have found that embryo of marine annelid worm called Platynereis dumerilii have nervous system unchanged for ages! The documented the molecular fingerprints of the developing nerve cells. This finding has been published in NewScientist. Alexandru Denes find their finding overwhelming. The molecular anatomy of the central nervous system turned out to be the same as in vertebrates and Platynereis. They found that corresponding regions give rise to neuron types with similar molecular fingerprints. Surprisingly these neurons go to form the same neural structure in Annelid and man. Gasper Jekely who is another team member in this research explains that such an arrangement could not be invented twice throughout evolution. The scientists speculate the Platynereis and man must have inherited the neural structure from a common ancestor. The research has been published in the journal "Cell" with the question: How did the central nervous system flipped from belly to backside? How did the inversion occurred and how other invertebrates have modified the ancestral CNS throughout evolution?