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The largest life-form on land 400 million years ago was one that scientists can’t explain
Prototaxites fossils from Rhynie chert near Aberdeen, Scotland, show unique chemical and structural features distinct from fungi, suggesting a novel form of multicellular life.
- A 400 million years-old organism, Prototaxites, from three fossils in the Rhynie chert near Aberdeen, may be a previously unknown multicellular life form, research suggests.
- In the 19th century, 19th-century researchers misidentified Prototaxites as rotten conifers, while recent years saw proposals of fungus or lichen-like symbiosis and critics noting sampling of only one of 25 known Prototaxites species.
- Structural analysis found complex branching and dark spherical spots, while biomarker tests showed Prototaxites lacked chitin and glucan breakdown products present in co-occurring fossil fungi at the Rhynie chert.
- The research team is planning follow-up studies on tubular fossils, noting key unknowns about anchoring, upright growth habit, and non-photosynthetic carbon use.
- The Rhynie chert as ancient hot-spring environment preserves early ecosystems where the largest Prototaxites towered over plants less than 1 meter tall, suggesting independent evolution from modern fungi.
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About 400 million years ago, long before dinosaurs or even trees evolved, an enigmatic organism rose above the landscape as a prehistoric monolith.
New analysis suggests puzzling fossil may have been an unknown life-form
A bizarre fossil called Prototaxites, which was the largest life-form on land 400 million years ago, may have been a completely unknown form of multicellular life, according to a new study.
·Atlanta, United States
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Total News Sources9
Leaning Left1Leaning Right0Center7Last UpdatedBias Distribution87% Center
Bias Distribution
- 87% of the sources are Center
87% Center
13%
C 87%
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