Ancient discovery in Aussie outback provides clue to development of modern humans

The discovery of ancient remains from a primitive fish in outback Australia has helped reveal a new understanding about the creation of life on Earth. Scientists took the fossilised remains of this new species Ngamugawi wirngarri and those of similar coelacanth fish and compared changes in their evolution to world-changing geological events.

While most people associate tectonic plate movements with earthquakes, volcanoes and the creation of mountains, the researchers now believe they could also accelerate changes in evolution. While that may sound complicated, the basics of the theory are simple — during heightened tectonic activity, new habitats are formed and this forces even the most conservative species to adapt and change.

While it's known that events like meteor strikes and climate change led to mass extinctions, the new discovery helps shed light on the creation of new lifeforms. It's hoped the process could inform our understanding of rapid changes in other species that led to the creation of modern humans.

How old is the ancient fish?

The discovery was made by a team of researchers from Australia, Canada and Europe, and published in the journal Nature Communications.

The Ngamugawi wirngarri specimen, which was unearthed in remote Western Australia and was named using the local Indigenous Gooniyandi language, is significant because it helps provide an important link between primitive coelacanth fish and more modern forms. Its changes appear to have formed during the Devonian Period (359-419 million years ago) when major tectonic movements were occurring.

“Our analyses found that tectonic plate activity had a profound influence on rates of coelacanth evolution. Namely that new species of coelacanth were more likely to evolve during periods of heightened tectonic activity as new habitats were divided and created” lead author and Flinders University palaeontologist Dr Alice Clement said.

Why the fish discovery is important to our understanding of human evolution

While the Kimberley region’s Gogo Formation is covered in dry rocky outcrops today, if we look back 380 million years, it was a vibrant tropical reef that was home to at least 50 species of fish. Today it is one of the best-preserved landscapes of fossilised fish and invertebrates on Earth.

Important parts of modern anatomy found in humans, including the jaw, teeth, hearts, lungs and genitals began to evolve in other species 540 to 350 million years ago while the region was flourishing.

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Flinders University Professor of Palaeontology John Long said by studying ancient fish that lived around the area, like the Ngamugawi wirngarri, researchers can learn about human evolution.

"The work done on these ancient fishes has told us a lot about the early beginnings of the line of animals leading to humans, [and] eventually how these fishes equiped themselves for the invasion of land with the capability of breathing air," he said.

There were around 175 species of coelacanth around the world, but most vanished 66 million years ago at the end of the Cretaceous Period. Today there are just two species and they have remained largely unchanged for 400 million years.

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