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Fossils of multicellular animals discovered in China shed light on evolution before Cambrian explosion

Fossils of multicellular animals discovered in China shed light on evolution before Cambrian explosion

The discovery provides new evidence about the early evolution of animals and the origins of vertebrates

Photo source: semnic / iStock

A team of Chinese scientists has discovered exceptionally well-preserved fossils of multicellular animals in Ediacaran strata in eastern Yunnan Province. The discovery indicates that complex animal communities already existed in the oceans long before the so-called Cambrian explosion, according to Xinhua News Agency, a TV BRICS partner.

Using advanced imaging techniques, the scientists identified numerous early life forms, including worm-like creatures considered to be among the earliest animals with bilateral symmetry. These organisms already had basic structures, such as a head and digestive tract, and were capable of moving freely.

The researchers also found fossils of deuterostomes, a group that would later give rise to chordates, including vertebrates. Their similarity to fossils from well-known Cambrian sites suggests that these groups were already present during the Ediacaran.

The discovery could help resolve one of the major mysteries of evolutionary biology, known as the “Darwinian dilemma”. According to Cong Peiyun, a researcher at Yunnan University, the new fossils support the hypothesis that this apparently sudden emergence could be due to an incomplete fossil record.

Eastern Yunnan is one of the world's leading centres for research into the transition between the Ediacaran and Cambrian periods. Chinese scientists have been conducting fieldwork in the region since 2017 and have discovered numerous new sites and specimens.

Palaeontological research has also made significant advances in other BRICS countries.

For example, in Brazil, a team of Brazilian and international researchers identified a new species of fossil fish, Leolepis matogrossensis, dating back around 254 million years. The specimen was discovered in Mato Grosso State, near the Araguainha crater, and is notable for its exceptional state of preservation, according to Metrópoles, a TV BRICS partner.

The species belongs to the ancient actinopterygians, the group to which around 96 per cent of today's bony fish, including tuna, salmon and cod, belong. Researchers believe the animal lived in an ancient megalake when South America and Africa were part of the supercontinent Gondwana. The fossil provides information about ecosystems that existed shortly before the major mass extinction that occurred around 252 million years ago.

In Egypt, meanwhile, researchers from Cairo University have discovered a significant concentration of shark fossils in Abu Tartur in the Western Desert. According to Sada El-Balad, a TV BRICS partner, the remains, which are more than 70 million years old, belong to seven species from five genera.

The fossils were found in layers of the Duwi Formation, which were covered by a warm, nutrient-rich sea during the Late Cretaceous. The assemblage of remains reveals the existence of a diverse marine ecosystem inhabited by small fish, medium-sized predators and large sharks. Some Scapanorhynchus specimens may have reached around 6.7 metres in length.