A stunning new study has revealed that a common parasite infesting modern oysters actually began its destructive life cycle nearly half a billion years ago.

Researchers examining 480-million-year-old fossilised shells from Morocco have uncovered distinctive question mark-shaped traces etched into the shells by a marine bristle worm parasite, revealing this ancient parasite continues to impact ocean life today.

Led by palaeobiologist Karma Nanglu at UC Riverside , the study used advanced micro-CT scans, a high-resolution 3D imaging technique similar to medical CT scans but much more detailed, to peer inside expertly preserved Ordovician-period bivalve shells.

These scans revealed perfectly formed question mark-shaped damage patterns on and within the 480-million-year-old fossils, clues

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