The discovery of the oldest fossil from the Ecdysozoa family (Uncus dzaugisi), a group of animals characterized by shedding their skin and including insects, crustaceans and nematodes, sheds light on the early evolution of animals
Researchers from Harvard University have uncovered a fossil ofUncus dzaugisi , a 555-million-year-old organism found in southern Australia. This finding confirms the Precambrian origin of the animals from the Ecdysozoa family, a group of animals characterized by shedding their skin and including insects, crustaceans and nematodes. This is the first discovery of its kind that confirms the existence of ecdysozoans even before the Cambrian explosion.
A fossil that bridges gaps in evolution
Uncus dzaugisi was discovered in sandstone rocks in Nilpena Ediacara National Park. The small fossil, which is only a few centimeters long, differs from other fossils of the period in that its physical characteristics include a cylindrical structure, a rigid body structure and curved traces that indicate active mobility.
Ian Hughes, a PhD candidate in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard and the leader of the research, said: "This discovery provides the first evidence that animals from the Ecdysozoa family existed back in the Precambrian period. This opens a unique window for us to understand their early development."
The treasures of Nilpana Adiyakara National Park
The park, which was once an ancient seabed, is famous for its exceptional preservation of organisms from the Ediacaran period. The microbial structures in the ancient bottom allowed the preservation of the fine details of the fossil. "It's as if we poured concrete on the sea floor and turned it over after half a billion years," Hughes explained.
The find was discovered through careful manual excavation, taking care not to remove rocks from the site, in accordance with scientific ethics and the commitment to preserving the local heritage of the indigenous community.
Using 3D laser scanning technology, the researchers plan to study the movement and anatomy ofUncus dzaugisi . The goal is to understand how this organism functioned in its environment and whether there was a connection between its location in the marine habitat and other microbial structures.
The evolutionary meaning
The discovery strengthens the theory that the Ecdysozoa family began to evolve long before the Cambrian explosion. The features of Uncus provide unique clues about the behavior and mobility of ancient organisms in this group, which evolved into a rich variety of species and ecological niches.
The research was published in the journal Current Biology and is the result of a long-term collaboration between researchers from Harvard University and other scientists from Australia. The fossil is named after members of the Dzojis family, who contributed a lot to research in the field.
More of the topic in Hayadan:
- Fossil discovery sheds light on the evolution of whales
- A discovered fossil sheds light on the eating habits of an ancient reptile
- A 47-million-year-old fossil may be the common ancestor (or common mother) of today's humans and apes
- A 55-million-year-old ancient monkey fossil was discovered in China
- Sea urchins lived on Earth already about 300 million years ago; About 50 million years before what was believed until now
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And 55 minutes to be exact
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How was the age of the fossil determined?
The world has not lived beyond 6700 years. During the time of creation, the world was full of upheavals like a flood that huge stars approached us and also took many blows from meteors, and the days also passed by welding, and the times did not pass on it in an equal linear manner.