A discovery has shed light on the early evolution of nervous systems in ecdysozoan animals, a group that includes insects, nematodes, and priapulid worms. Fossil evidence from the early Cambrian Kuanchuanpu Formation has revealed details of the ventral nerve cord structure in ancient organisms, providing key insights into the evolutionary history of this critical component of the central nervous system. This discovery offers a glimpse into the nervous system architecture of one of the earliest known ecdysozoan lineages.
Revelations From Cambrian Fossils
According to a study titled Preservation and early evolution of scalidophoran ventral nerve cord published in Science Advances, scientists analysed fossils from Cambrian deposits, including those of Eopriapulites and Eokinorhynchus. As reported by phs.org, the findings suggest that the ancestors of scalidophorans, a subgroup of ecdysozoans, possessed a single ventral nerve cord. Researchers observed structures along the ventral side of these ancient organisms, resembling the ventral nerve cords of modern priapulid worms.
Dr. Deng Wang from Northwest University and Dr. Jean Vannier from Université de Lyon indicated to phys.org that these impressions represent early examples of the nervous system design seen in present-day ecdysozoans. This evidence supports the hypothesis that a single ventral nerve cord was the ancestral condition for this group.
Implications for Evolutionary Biology
The study has highlighted evolutionary connections between the structure of the ventral nerve cord and the segmentation of body plans in ecdysozoans. According to statement to phys.org by Dr. Chema Martin-Durán of Queen Mary University of London, the findings propose that the common ancestor of all ecdysozoans likely had a single ventral nerve cord. Changes leading to paired nerve cords, seen in arthropods and kinorhynchs, are believed to have evolved independently, reflecting adaptations to segmented body structures.
Dr. María Herranz from Rey Juan Carlos University suggested that the emergence of paired nerve cords may have enhanced locomotion and coordination in segmented animals during the Precambrian-Cambrian transition. These findings underscore the role of fossil studies in uncovering the complexities of early animal development.
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Pizza Hut’s biggest UK restaurant franchisee is closing in on a rescue deal that would salvage the vast majority of its British outlets and jobs.
Sky News has learnt that Directional Capital, an investment firm which already controls much of Pizza Hut’s dine-in operations in Denmark and Sweden, is in advanced talks to acquire roughly 140 sites in the UK.
A deal, which could come as early as Wednesday, would be structured as an acquisition of Heart With Smart (HWS), the main franchise-holder, by Directional Capital.
Financiers said there was a strong possibility the transaction would be implemented through a pre-pack administration of HWS.
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They added, however, that an insolvency of the corporate entity would not lead to substantial numbers of site closures or job losses.
Only a handful or so of the chain’s existing outlets – at most – were at risk of being axed, they said.
HWS, which was previously called Pizza Hut Restaurants, employs about 3,000 people, making it one of the most significant operators in Britain’s casual dining industry.
If completed, a deal would bring a successful end to a sale process which has been running since the aftermath of Rachel Reeves’s budget in late October.
Insiders told Sky News in November that increases to employers’ national insurance contributions (NICs) which come into effect in April would add approximately £4m to HWS’s annual cost-base – equivalent to more than half of last year’s earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation.
HWS licenses the Pizza Hut name from Yum! Brands, KFC’s owner
HWS is owned by a combination of Pricoa, a lender, and the company’s management, led by chief executive Jens Hofma.
They led a management buyout reportedly worth £100m in 2018, with the business having previously owned by Rutland Partners, a private equity firm.
HWS licenses the Pizza Hut name from Yum! Brands, the American food giant which also owns KFC.
Interpath Advisory has been overseeing the sale process.
Even before the budget, restaurant operators were feeling significant pressure, with TGI Fridays collapsing into administration before being sold to a consortium of Breal Capital and Calveton.
Sky News also revealed during the autumn that Pizza Express had hired investment bankers to advise on a debt refinancing.
HWS operates all of Pizza Hut’s dine-in restaurants in Britain, but has no involvement with its large number of delivery outlets, which are run by individual franchisees.
Directional Capital, however, is understood to own two of Pizza Hut’s UK delivery franchisees.
Accounts filed at Companies House for HWS4 for the period from December 5, 2022 to December 3, 2023 show that it completed a restructuring of its debt under which its lenders agreed to suspend repayments of some of its borrowings until November next year.
The terms of the same facilities were also extended to September 2027, while it also signed a new ten-year Pizza Hut franchise agreement with Yum Brands which expires in 2032.
“Whilst market conditions have improved noticeably since 2022, consumers remain challenged by higher-than-average levels of inflation, high mortgage costs and slow growth in the economy,” the accounts said.
It added: “The costs of business remain challenging.”
Pizza Hut opened its first UK restaurant in the early 1970s and expanded rapidly over the following 15 years.
In 2020, the company announced that it was closing dozens of restaurants, with the loss of hundreds of jobs, through a company voluntary arrangement (CVA).
At that time, it operated more than 240 sites across the UK.
HWS and Interpath declined to comment on Monday evening, while Directional Capital could not be reached for comment.
The zebra that died in a zoo in Essex after an “incident” with a rhinoceros was killed after the larger animal unintentionally punctured its stomach.
Colchester Zoo had revealed over the weekend that a male zebra had died due to an “extremely rare” incident with a rhino, but it did not say how the animal’s death came about.
In an update, the zoo said a female rhino named Astrid had been sparring with her son Tayo in a mixed-species enclosure on Friday.
The rhino had “unfortunately” attempted to move the male zebra named Ziggy out of the way but in doing so “unintentionally punctured his stomach”, the zoo added.
The zebra died of his injuries a few minutes later.
A three-week-old male white rhino calf with mum Astrid at Colchester Zoo. File pic: PA
Ziggy had been living “happily” with the other species in the enclosure, including the rhino, since November 2017, the zoo said.
It added in a statement: “In the light of these rare events, we review our care for the animals to minimise the risk of these incidents reoccurring.
“As a result, the animal care team will continue to closely monitor the animals’ behaviour in the coming weeks.
“These sorts of incidents are extremely rare and we are devastated by this loss, Ziggy was a much-loved animal who will be dearly missed.
“We would really like to thank our supporters for the well wishes at this difficult time and thank our fantastic animal care team who dealt with this very difficult situation extremely professionally.”
The zoo initially announced the zebra’s death on social media over the weekend, with some users claiming they witnessed what happened.
“I was there and I feel so bad for everyone,” one person wrote on Instagram.
“It was heart-breaking. The keepers did a great job handling it.”
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Another said: “We knew it had to be something serious, however every member of staff handled it so well, especially now looking back knowing the circumstances.”
The two animals were kept in the zoo’s “Kingdom of the Wild” enclosure, which is also home to animals and birds, including an African crowned crane, an ostrich, a greater kudu and a reticulated giraffe.
The habitat was completed in 2001 and is comprised of an indoor building and outdoor paddock, according to the zoo’s website.
Its rhinos are the near-threatened southern white species and since the first ones arrived in 1972, seven calves have been born at the popular tourist attraction.
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