LINK Evolution timeframes get a rethink after scientists take a closer look at Earth's first animals
Rethinking animal evolution
Uniting these members of the Ediacaran biota and Stromatoveris psygmoglena in a single group of animals has major implications for animal origins. In light of this new evidence, some older ideas on early animal evolution may need to be revised.
Because members of the Ediacaran biota can now be classed as animals, we can date the origin of the animal kingdom to at least the time when these fossils appeared. The oldest members of these groups are known as “rangeomorphs” and appear in the fossil record approximately 571m years ago, in the late Ediacaran Period.
The front view of a rangeomorph fossil, the oldest of the Ediacaran biota. Jennifer Hoyal Cuthill, Author provided
This means that animal species were diversifying well before the Cambrian explosion. It may also mean that the search for animal origins should now focus on the time before this, in the early Ediacaran and even more ancient geological periods. Based on this, animals may have originated much earlier than the traditional reading of the fossil record had suggested.
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.I'm still baffled about the millions of years between the different dinosaur groups. Cretaceous Jurassic Triassic Mesozoic.
Dinosaurs lived for millions of years here.
Us. Only a couple hundred thousand. Amazing.
Anonbene
Level 8
Aug 17, 2018
2
I am still baffled about the existence of the dinosaurs, period. ...let us call a spade, a spade, I am in denial.
the fossil records continue to educate and enlighten....
I obviously need to catch up on some reading!
SkotlandSkye
Level 8
Aug 17, 2018
1
Given the nature of science, the care that scientists take to not overstate things, and the sequential way in which scientific discoveries are made, we should expect that proposed earliest dates for this or that would get pushed back in time. That being said, the work of the discoverers is to be lauded and celebrated. It takes a lot of effort by a lot of people to accumulate the data that necessitates the re-writing of textbooks. As for this particular case, I think I can get used to the idea that the first animals may have appeared a few tens of millions of years earlier than recently thought. Its like a bit of intellectual chocolate: tasty, stimulating, and sweet! ?
Flyingsaucesir
Level 8
Aug 17, 2018
1
Just as I’ve been saying all along. Ha ha. I get double points 
WilliamFleming
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Aug 16, 2018
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