South Australia finds fossils from early animals

2010/11/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Biologia
• Eboluzioa
• Geologia

The study of fossils concludes that animals appeared earlier than previously thought

According to a paper published in the journal Nature Geoscience, some of the oldest animal fossils may have been found in some stones in South Australia. Geologists estimate that they are 650 million years old.

Adam Maloof, geologist at Princeton University, and his team, have made the discovery. In fact, the team of researchers studied the remains of a worldwide glaciation that occurred 630 million years ago. Thus, they realized that many stones had special structures that were taken to the laboratory for in-depth study.

The researchers did not believe there were animals before that glaciation, but the results of the studies showed them that they were wrong. Due to their characteristics, they could not use traditional methods of fossil analysis and, through a new method, developed three-dimensional models of structures. In view of the result it was deduced that they were fossils of primitive animals in the form of sponge.

Until then, some fossils of 520 million years ago were remnants of the oldest sponges, that is, of the Cambrian period. However, based on genetic studies, some researchers have suggested that sponges were born millions of years before the Cambrian. Now it seems that evidence has been found.

In addition to finding such old animal fossils, scientists have given great importance to the method used in research. In fact, Maloof intends to fine-tune the method, so they hope to investigate other fossils that cannot be studied with the traditional methodology.