The secret of the hidden eyes was revealed; Our 500 million year old ancestor had four eyes

According to Live Science; Scientists have made a surprising discovery by examining 518 million-year-old fossils in China. These fossils show that the most distant vertebrate ancestors of humans were small, string-like creatures that swam with four eyes in the ancient oceans of the Cambrian era. This discovery, which has had a wide impact in scientific circles, has completely changed our understanding of the origin of vision and the evolutionary process of vertebrates.

Scientifically known as Myllokunmingiids, these creatures were only about three centimeters long. They are the oldest members of the vertebrate family and the common ancestor of all modern fish, reptiles and mammals. Until now, complex vision systems were thought to have emerged in much later stages of Earth’s history; But chemical analysis and microscopic imaging of these exceptional fossils in the Chengjiang region of China proved that this animal had two large eyes on the sides and two smaller eyes in the center of its face.

Yunnan University and Leicester University researchers believe that all four eyes of this creature were of the “camera” type and had lenses to focus light. One of the members of this research team compares the atmosphere of the oceans at that time to a “dark forest”. In that high-risk environment, having two extra pairs of eyes was a vital advantage for timely identification of predators and survival.

Another striking point in this research is the connection between these ancient eyes and the biological structure of our body. These findings make it clear that, in fact, the pineal gland, which is responsible for regulating sleep in the human brain today, is a remnant of the real eyes of our ancestors, which was transferred to the brain and changed its use in the course of evolution. In other words, what regulates the body’s biological clock in the depths of our brain today, was an active eye watching the underwater world 500 million years ago.

The discovery is evidence that the engine of evolution designed the most complex sensory tools into the bodies of our early ancestors much faster than previously thought.