Prometheus Posted June 24, 2023 Share Posted June 24, 2023 Molecular fossils found in ancient sedimentary rocks have unveiled a lost world of primitive eukaryotes that dominated aquatic ecosystems from at least 1.6 billion to 800 million years ago. The findings, published June 7 in Nature, come from laboratory analyses of rock samples from around the world that revealed remnants of primitive compounds called protosteroids. The majority of these molecules, which form in the process of creating steroids, were likely produced by primordial eukaryotes, relatively complex life-forms that today include animals, plants, algae and fungi, the researchers say. ... “If true, [this study] suggests that we may be able to examine the stepwise evolution of eukaryotes at [an] unprecedented level of detail,” says evolutionary biologist Yosuke Hoshino of the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam, who was not involved in the study. “This is such a great opportunity to understand the evolution of complex life, which biologists have always dreamed of.” https://www.sciencenews.org/article/steroid-fossil-lost-world-microbe-life Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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