'Wiggly' fossils found in Canada may be oldest known sign of animal life
Last edited Fri Jul 30, 2021, 03:28 AM - Edit history (1)
Scientists believe the unusual tubular structures may be the remnants of prehistoric sponges
Ian Sample Science editor
@iansample
Wed 28 Jul 2021 11.00 EDT
Intricate patterns of tubular structures discovered in giant ancient reefs may be the remnants of prehistoric horny sponges and the oldest known fossils of animal life on Earth.
Researchers found the unusual features in vast reefs that were built by bacteria 890m years ago and then pushed up by geological processes to form part of the Mackenzie Mountains in north-western Canada.
Examined under a microscope, a small number of rock samples revealed tubules about half the width of a human hair that branch and reconnect to form 3D structures that are strikingly similar to those seen in fossils of bath sponges.
“Initially, when you look at these features they look like a bunch of wiggles, but when you try to follow each of the strands, you realise that even in thin sections they form complicated 3D meshworks,” said Prof Elizabeth Turner, at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario.
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Uh, wrong!
Correct link furnished by Yonnie3, thank goodness!
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/jul/28/wiggly-fossils-found-in-canada-may-be-earliest-known-animal
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