cambrian explosion
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Bioluminescence Is at Least Half a Billion Years Old
Bioluminescence, the eerie, beautiful phenomena that allows living things to glow, is way more ancient than previously thought, according to a team of researchers that recently studied the ability in octocorals. Octocorals are not closely related to corals, despite their name. They are a group of marine invertebrates that reside—and glow—in Earth’s oceans. But octocorals…
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Animals Emerged 350 Million Years Earlier Than Previously Thought, Fossil Discovery Suggests
Ancient rocks from northwestern Canada have been found to contain structures consistent with sea sponges. At 890 million years old, they could be the oldest known animal fossils on Earth.
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This Atmospheric Time Capsule Could Change Earth’s History
Buried inside ancient grains of rock salt, a team of geologists has discovered traces of a breathable, animal-friendly atmosphere. If confirmed, the finding will push back the rise of oxygen on Earth hundreds of millions of years, raising new questions about the evolution of complex life both here and beyond our solar system.