Ancient Chemical Fingerprints Point To Sea Sponges As Earth's First Animals

Geologists may have discovered Earth’s first animals

Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology analysed chemical fossils from more than 541 million years ago.

541-Million-Year-Old Sea Sponge Confirmed As One of Earth’s First Animals

Learn about how chemical fossils helped researchers identify one of Earth’s earliest animals: a sea sponge from the Ediacaran Period.

Ancient Chemical Fingerprints Point To Sea Sponges As Earth's First Animals

Scientists have uncovered new molecular evidence that sea sponges, some of the simplest creatures on Earth, were likely among the planet's first animals. The post Ancient Chemical Fingerprints Point To Sea Sponges As Earth’s First Animals appeared first on Study Finds.

Earth’s first animals may have been sea sponges, study finds

A team of scientists digging up some of the Earth’s oldest rocks has uncovered new chemical evidence that Earth’s first animals were likely ancestors of the modern sea sponge. The discovery relies on distinctive molecules preserved in stone for more than a half-billion years and suggests that ancient ancestors of modern sea sponges were among the first animals to exist. The discovery relied on “chemical fossils.” While fossils themselves are she…

Ancient Demosponges: The First Animals on Earth, According to Research

Researchers from MIT and other institutions have discovered chemical fossils possibly left by ancient sponges on rocks dating back over 541 million years. These fossils consist of a distinctive type of sterlan, a stable variant of sterols found within the cell membranes of complex organisms. The team linked these sterlans to a category of sea [...] The post Ancient Demosponges: The First Animals on Earth, According to Research appeared first on …