Ancient Marine Parasites Make Their 21st Century Debut

It may be pleasing to find out pentastomid parasites—or “tongue worms” as they are colloquially known—do not attach to the vertebrate tongue, they merely just look like one. A newly described 425 million year old tongue worm makes its debut this week in an article in Current Biology by David Siveter, Derek Briggs, Derek Siveter, and Mark Sutton. This remarkable discovery is shedding light on the evolution and behavior of this enigmatic group of parasites. In fact, this rare occasion of fossilization should be celebrated because parasites like tongue worms are soft-bodied and are not frequently preserved in the rock record.