The Ediacaran enigma: were the oldest animals actually lichens?(includes a related article on the disappearance of Ediacara)(Cover Story)

From: Science News | Date: July 8, 1995| Author: | Copyright information

Ediacara were the first forms of complex life on Earth, their fossils dating back 565 million years to the Precambrian era. Researcher Gregory J. Retallack believes that it was lichen, and not jellyfish as widely believed, that dominated the Precambrian era.

They are the black holes of paleontology, fossils so inscrutable they swallow up every theory thrown at them.

Taking their name from a site in southern Australia called Ediacara, these 565-million-year-old puzzles hold a pivotal position in evolutionary history. After billions of years in which bacteria, algae, and other ...

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Living large on the Precambrian planet. (Ediacaran biota existed for longer period than previously thought)
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Namibian fossils reveal ancient oddities.(Swartpuntia fossils)
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EDIACARAN BIOTA ON BONAVISTA PENINSULA, NEWFOUNDLAND, CANADA
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; Abstract.-Ediacaran fossils at Mistaken Point, southeastern...Narbonne and Gehling 2003). Ediacaran fossils document a critical interval...although the occurrence of Ediacaran fossils in subphotic deep-water settings...
SA: Ancient fossil to be returned to SA
; ...South Australian Environment Minister Iain Evans said Ediacaran fossils of the Flinders Ranges played a pivotal role in the search...understanding the evolution of early life. "Thirty-six species of Ediacaran fossils have been described in the Flinders Ranges, making it the...
Yolks of yore: oldest animals found.(fossil embryos found in China)
; ...animal life by only a few million years. Large, so-called Ediacaran fossils first appeared in 565-million-year-old rocks (SN: 11/22...tracks attributed to wormlike creatures. The tracks and Ediacaran fossils have proved difficult to interpret, whereas the new embryos...
REDUCTIO AD ABSURDUM: TESTING THE EVOLUTIONARY RELATIONSHIPS OF EDIACARAN AND PALEOZOIC PROBLEMATIC FOSSILS USING MOLECULAR DIVERGENCE DATES
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Heirs of ancient enigmas. (Ediacara fauna research) (Brief Article)
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