Study draws 'virtual harvestmen'

Scientists have used CT scans to make 3D models of fossil harvestmen, revealing just how little these spindly invertebrates have changed in 300 million years.

The X-ray technique allows the researchers to virtually extract the organism from its encapsulating rock and then study key anatomical features on a computer screen.

This creature, Ameticos scolos, displays two spine-like structures on its 9mm-long body - something that might have deterred any predator trying to swallow it.