Complex life forms older than thought
SCIENTISTS have found fossils which suggest that complex life forms evolved 10 million years earlier than previously thought.
The burrows of the tiny worm-like animals, which were the width of a human hair, were discovered using X-rays. They lived in western Brazil around 550 million years ago and are thought be among the first organisms capable of muscular movement.
Luke Parry, of University of Bristol, said: “The fossils were made by quite complex animals. They may have been overlooked because they are so tiny.
“These are animals that are more closely related to humans than to simple creatures like jellyfish.”
The research appeared in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.