Stunning fossil discovery challenges the origins of animal life

Scientists studying ancient microfossils from Brazil have discovered that structures once believed to be traces left behind by tiny animals were actually formed by communities of microscopic bacteria and algae. The findings challenge previous ideas about when small animals first appeared on Earth and suggest oxygen levels in ancient oceans may still have been too low to support certain forms of animal life around 540 million years ago.

1. Homepage
2. Science
3. Stunning fossil discovery challenges the origins of animal life