Chinese-Led Study Finds 500-Million-Year-Old Vertebrate Ancestors Had Complex Brains
Updated
Updated · CGTN · Jun 19
Chinese-Led Study Finds 500-Million-Year-Old Vertebrate Ancestors Had Complex Brains
3 articles · Updated · CGTN · Jun 19
Summary
A Chinese-led team reported in Science that the common ancestor of all vertebrates likely already had a highly regionalized brain about 500 million years ago.
Using the Far Eastern brook lamprey as a model, researchers built the first 3D single-cell atlas of a lamprey brain from more than 460,000 cells across 14 major brain regions.
The data suggest many core vertebrate brain structures were established far earlier than thought, challenging the view that complex brains gradually emerged from a simple ancestral nervous system.
Comparisons with other vertebrates indicate later brain evolution was driven partly by greater neuronal specialization, with early vertebrates relying more on broadly functioning nerve cells.
The study, led by researchers from BGI Research, the Kunming Institute of Zoology and Liaoning Normal University, offers a new framework for tracing how modern animal and human brains evolved.
Are our specialized brain cells an upgrade over the ancient 'jack-of-all-trades' neurons found in lampreys?
If our brain's blueprint is 500 million years old, what evolutionary event truly made us human?
Is the 'living fossil' lamprey a perfect snapshot of our ancestor's brain or a misleading evolutionary outlier?
Landmark Study Maps 500-Million-Year-Old Brain Complexity in Vertebrate Ancestors Using Lamprey Atlas
Overview
A groundbreaking study featured on the cover of Science in June 2026 has transformed our understanding of how vertebrate brains evolved. Researchers discovered that the common ancestor of all vertebrates, living 450–500 million years ago, already had a surprisingly complex brain. This finding challenges traditional views by showing that key brain structures, like the cerebellum, appeared much earlier than previously thought. By identifying lamprey cells similar to cerebellar neurons, scientists revealed a primitive 'cerebellum-like region' in these ancient animals. The study shows that the basic complexity of vertebrate brains was established half a billion years ago.