Hidden for Half a Billion Years: The Fossil That Could Rewrite the Origin of Animal Life
For what felt like an eternity—okay, 75 years or so—scientists were basically having one giant, scientific “Is it an animal or not?” standoff over the mysterious fossil named Dickinsonia. Honestly, it’s like the paleontological equivalent of arguing whether pineapple belongs on pizza. But guess what? After decades of head-scratching, a team of brave researchers decided to chase down some ancient fat molecules (yes, actual prehistoric cholesterol) lurking inside these 558-million-year-old fossils. And in doing so, they didn’t just settle the debate—they crowned Dickinsonia as the oldest known animal on Earth. Imagine that: a creature that wiggled its way into the animal kingdom long before the Cambrian explosion—the famous party when modern animal life supposedly burst onto the scene. So next time you’re debating where that forgotten fossil fits on the tree of life, just remember: sometimes, it all boils down to a little fat. Intrigued? LEARN MORE.
For decades, scientists could not agree on whether to classify the Dickinsonia as an animal or not — until this new study showed that it is actually the oldest known animal.
Australian National UniversityThe Dickinsonia fossil.
A decades-long debate over a 558 million-year-old fossil has now been settled after scientists were able to identify it as one of the Earth’s earliest known animals.
The fossil, Dickinsonia, was first discovered back in 1947 by Australian scientists inside a Russian cliff near the White Sea. It was unclear to scientists until now, however, whether the fossil could be considered that of an animal or otherwise.
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