The Evolutionary Origins of Fish Armor: Insights from Neural Crest Stem Cells

Researchers have discovered that in early branches of the fish family tree, such as the sturgeon, the neural crest cells form the bony armor that covers them, suggesting an ancient role in bone formation that dates back to armored fish in the Devonian period. This finding sheds light on the origin of bone formation and challenges the conventional understanding that bone formation is limited to a small population of neural crest cells. The study focused on lineages like the gar and sturgeon to investigate whether the neural crest contributes to armor formation in these fish.