Scientists Discover the Identity of 558-Million-Year-Old Ancient Creature, Solving a Decades-Old Mystery

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Scientists uncover the identity of an ancient creature that lived 558 million years ago, solving a decades-long mystery.

They have now eliminated all the speculation and have conclusively classified the creature as an animal.

Researchers had trouble agreeing on the identity of this creature because it seemed so different from modern life forms. In this study, scientists took into account the growth patterns of these organisms to group them together. "It's been hard to tell these different theories apart because Dickinsonia doesn't share many physical characteristics with modern organisms," explained Dr. Alex Liu from the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Cambridge. "In this study, we looked at populations of Dickinsonia, including young and adult individuals, to see how it grew and to try to figure out how to classify it based on its development."

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Researchers used growth data and information about past Dickinsonia fossils to determine its true nature. "We confirmed that Dickinsonia grows by adding and inflating separate units along its central axis. However, we also found a change in the rate of unit addition versus inflation at a certain point in its life cycle. Past studies assumed that it grew from the end with the smallest units, and therefore considered it the youngest. We tested this assumption and analyzed our data, assuming growth from both ends. This led us to conclude that for the past 70 years, people have been misinterpreting how Dickinsonia grows," said Dr. Renee Hoekzema, a PhD candidate in Oxford University's Mathematical Institute.

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This early animal was part of either the Placozoa or Eumetazoa group. In the past, scientists linked Dickisonia to the Ediacaran biota, a group of soft-bodied organisms that lived around 580 million years ago. Despite having nearly 200 species, it's been hard to define this group because they don't resemble either extinct or living organisms closely.

This study has made a significant breakthrough in the analysis of Ediacaran life forms as it's the first time a creature from this group has been classified as an animal. "This discovery shows that animals were present among the Ediacaran life forms, and importantly, it confirms several recent findings that suggest animals evolved several million years before the Cambrian Explosion, which has long been a focus of study for those researching animal evolution," Liu noted. The discovery enables experts to include these creatures in the study of the animal kingdom's evolution.