Fossils reveal the earliest animal with a head was also the oldest known 'righty'

Key Points:

• Spriggina floundersi, a wormlike animal from about 550 million years ago, is identified as the earliest known animal with a head and showed a right-side bending preference, suggesting early behavioral handedness.
• Researchers analyzed over 100 fossils and found that most specimens curved left in the rock, indicating the creatures bent their bodies to the right in life, similar to modern right-handedness.
• The study concluded that Spriggina could move independently across the seafloor, supported by varied fossil orientations and bending patterns inconsistent with external forces like currents or drying.
• This discovery implies that directional preference and a nervous system connected to muscles existed in early animals, laying the evolutionary groundwork for handedness seen in many modern species.
• Experts praised the study's cautious interpretation of the fossil record, highlighting its significance in understanding the origins of animal movement and behavioral traits over half a billion years ago.