Scientists Discover 155 Million Yrs Old Creature That Could Clone Itself

Scientists have discovered a 155-million-year-old starfish-like creature with six arms that could clone itself.

According to a study on the discovery published in Science Alert, the fossil of this unique creature was found in 2018 from a limestone deposit in Germany.  According to the researchers, this is the only known specimen of the new species of brittle star. They have named it Ophiactis hex.

The clonal fragmentation allowed the organism to produce genetically identical offspring by breaking off parts of its own body and re-growing them, which is a unique biological process called fissiparity.

The 155 million-year-old fossil is preserved so well that all hook-shaped arm spines are visible.