#  The Three-Banded Panther Worm is Rewriting the Story of Brain Evolution 

 





November 04, 2026

 

 

     ![Illustration of worm on top of a purple rock with neurons in the background](/sites/g/files/omnuum6431/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2026-11/Lede_PantherWorm_final_3_1200.png?itok=jwTDl6CN) 

The three-banded panther worm’s brain is more condensed than the nerve net typical of other types of invertebrates, yet it lacks the specialized regions present in bilaterally symmetrical organisms.

Illustration by [Kai Gietzen](https://www.thetransmitter.org/contributor/kai-gietzen/)



 



 

Research in Mansi Srivastava's lab is featured in [The Transmitter, *The three-banded panther worm is rewriting the story of brain evolution*](https://www.thetransmitter.org/neuros-ark/the-three-banded-panther-worm-is-rewriting-the-story-of-brain-evolution/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=org-social&utm_campaign=20261104-q-a-neuros-ark-the-three-banded-panther-worm).

The animal has a brain structure all its own, according to a 2026 preprint. The finding hints that brains could have evolved centralization before regionalization.





 

 

 



 

 See also:- [ Invertebrate Zoology ](/news/invertebrate-zoology)