Study sheds new light on some of the earliest known fossils
CHARNWOOD DISCOVERIES REVEAL 560M-YEAR-OLD CREATURE RELATED TO MOST MODERN ANIMALS – INCLUDING HUMANS
CHARNWOOD Forest is not only famous for its rugged hills, dry-stone walls and wildlife but as the home of some of the world’s most ancient fossils.
Rocks found in its timeworn landscape have sparked debate in scientific circles for decades.
New research, however, has revealed they may well have more to tell us about our earliest animal ancestors than previously thought.
It has long been known the area’s craggy outcrops are home to some of the oldest and most complex fossils in the world, but the position of these mysterious organisms within the tree of life has continued to confuse palaeontologists.
Now, an international research team has concluded the Charnia fossil, named after the region it was first found, is not only an animal but also one that is much more complex than anyone assumed.
A National Forest Company spokeswoman said: “By carefully looking at different-sized specimens of Charnia, all found at a 560-million-year-old site in Charnwood Forest, the group were able to better understand how this fossil grew.
“This was pivotal to revealing more about what this mysterious fossil was.
“The research team also analysed a remarkably well-preserved specimen of Charnia found in Russia.
“Using state of the art X-ray imaging technology, they were able to look within this more than half-abillionanimal for the first time, and further understand how this strange creature both lived and died.”
Dr Frankie Dunn, a research fellow at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, led the study, which is published in Science Advances.
“We found Charnia was most closely related to the living group of animals that includes everything from jellyfish to insects to us –a group called the eumetazoa,” she said.
“Today, most of the animals we see are eumetazoans, so understanding their origins is a really important question.
“By showing that Charnia and its closest relatives were eumetazoans, we have also shown that the origin of the eumetazoa must be at least 25 million years older than previously thought.
“Charnia’s strange bodyplan – the way the creature’s body is structured – is unlike anything we see in the modern day.
“Our finding, that Charnia was an ancient eumetazoan, means that in the distant past there was at least one way to build an animal that is now totally extinct.”
Dr Jack Matthews, geoheritage officer at the National Forest, although not involved in the research, said its findings showed how important the geological heritage on our doorstep is.
“Charnwood Forest’s ancient fossils are continuing to shape our understanding of where we, as fellow animals, came from,” he said.
“Studies like this show just how important – and precious – our geological heritage is.
“As we work with partners to develop a potential Unesco Global Geopark bid, we want to share the fantastic story of our geological history around the world.”