What is the Gogo Fish? Details explored as scientists discover world's oldest heart 

Scientists seem to have hit the jackpot as they discovered a 380 million-year-old Gogo fish fossil that also contains the world’s oldest heart. It was preserved inside a fossilized prehistoric fish which is now extinct. The discovery was recently published in the Journal of Science and was made by scientists at Curtin University in Western Australia.

The scientists also found fossilized stomach, intestine, and liver in the ancient fish.

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Team suggest discovery will shed light on the evolution of the human body

The scientists who made the discovery talked about how evolution is a series of small steps. Since the heart and other organs of the fish are more than 380 million years old, this can shed light on the evolution and answer many unanswered questions.

Scientists find the world's oldest heart, which dates back to 380 million years ago. (Image via WILLIAM WEST / AFP via Getty Images)

Professor Kate Trinajstic, who led the study, said:

“These fish literally have their hearts in their mouths and under their gills - just like sharks today.”

The scientists also talked about how they feel they have made the biggest discovery of their lives. Speaking about the whole experience, the scientist said:

"We were crowded around the computer and recognised that we had a heart and pretty much couldn't believe it! It was incredibly exciting."

Speaking about where the fish was found, scientists revealed that the fish and its parts were found under a reef known as the Gogo Formation in the Kimberley Region. This region is home to a mixture of flora and fauna.

The scientists also talked about how well-preserved the soft tissues of the fish were. Trinajstic, the lead scientist, revealed:

“As a palaeontologist who has studied fossils for more than 20 years, I was truly amazed to find a 3D and beautifully preserved heart in a 380-million-year-old ancestor.”

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Gogo Fish: All you should know about the extinct species

The Gogo fish is the first of the class of placoderms that had an articulated jaw with teeth. Being almost 50 cm in length, the species before the gogo fish were no longer than 30 cm. Gogo fish lived on Earth for about 100 million years before the first dinosaurs came into existence.

Moreover, scientists claim that this was the first ever fish species to have jaws and teeth. These species were named after the Devonian Gogo formations, which were part of a reef about 360 to 430 million years ago.

The gogo fish remains were found by Australian scientists, who believe this can be the key to many unanswered questions about evolution. (Image via The Science Journal)

Talking about the heart found under the reef, it had two chambers, one on top of each other. The researchers also made an important observation that the heart was much more forward in the body than those of the more primitive fish.