Queen Mary University of London Jan 10 2025 An international team of scientists has uncovered a fascinating piece of the evolutionary puzzle: how the ventral nerve cord, a key component of the central nervous system , evolved in ecdysozoan animals, a group that includes insects, nematodes, and priapulid worms. Their findings, published in Science Advances , provide valuable insights into the origins of these structures in the basal Cambrian period.  The research team, comprising Dr Deng Wang (