What challenge limits the gathering of early data when studying ancient worm evolution?
Answer
Soft-bodied organisms rarely fossilize well
A significant difficulty in tracing the deep history of worms stems from their inherent physical composition. Because they are soft-bodied organisms, they do not generally leave robust fossil records. Consequently, much of the early understanding about their evolution relies heavily on alternative, indirect methods such as molecular clock analysis, or on the study of extremely rare, exceptionally preserved specimens that managed to avoid degradation over vast stretches of time.
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