A series of Micro-CT scans of a starfish, showing the skeleton (grey), digestive system (yellow), nervous system (blue), muscles (red) and water vascular system (purple): all part of the body and head
HERNAN CANELLAS, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON X3
From their ability to regrow limbs to the conundrum of identifying where their bodies end and their heads begin, starfish are often at the centre of scientific intrigue. When it comes to that latter query, at least, scientists may finally have the answer.
Researchers from the University of Southampton are suggesting that, rather than their heads being part of their bodies, the entire bodies of starfish – and other echinoderms – are their heads.