earliest animal life
early animal life
An interesting report of work in the Oman, these researchers have measured a breakdown product produced only by dead sponges (24-isopropylcholestane) in rocks of 635 million years old. This is the oldest trace yet of animal life. This is apparently before the “snowball earth†stage, which has implications either about how life survived global freeze or how extensive the global freeze really was. Really very interesting stuff.