• Ancient sea sponge could push back existence of animal life on Earth by 90million years
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[highlight]Discovery of ancient sea sponge fossils could push back existence of animal life on Earth by 90million years[/highlight] Full title. Apologies for that. [url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1304061/Ancient-sea-sponge-fossils-push-existence-animal-life-90million-years.html]Source[/url] [release]Scientists have discovered the ancient fossils of sea sponges which could push back the existence of animal life on Earth by 90 million years. The tiny fossils measuring up to one centimetre across lived in ocean reefs off south Australia and were discovered in rocks dated at between 640 and 650million years old. The remains, found by a team led by geologist Dr Adam Maloof, of Princeton University, are the oldest fossils left behind by the bodies of primitive early animals. [img]http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/08/18/article-1304061-0AD4E956000005DC-213_468x542.jpg[/img] [b]Ancient: The fossilised remains of sea sponges dating back 650million years has been found in south Australia[/b] If correct, the finding would mean that animal life existed before the Marinoan glaciation - a global catastrophe known as 'Snowball Earth' when the entire planet was covered in ice. Previously it was believed that animal life first emerged after the Snowball Earth event around 635million years ago. Dr Maloof told The Times: 'No one was expecting that we would find animals that lived before the [Snowball Earth] ice age. 'Since animals probably did not evolve twice, we are suddenly confronted with the question of how some relative of these reef-dwelling animals survived the Snowball Earth.' [shitload of pictures] Sponges are filter-feeders which extract their food from water as it flows through specialised body channels. Previously, the oldest sponges were dated at around 520million years old. The oldest known fossils of hard-bodied animals were two sea-dwelling organisms which lived around 550million years ago, called Namacalathus and Cloudina. But DNA evidence from sponges has suggested that their origins predate this. Marc Laflamme, of Yale University, said the earliest known sponge fossils were about 555million years old. ANIMAL LIFE ON EARTH 100,000 years ago: Homo sapiens emerge 65,000,000 years ago: Dinosaurs are made extinct 240,000,000 years ago: Trilobites become extinct 550,000,000 years ago: The oldest hard-bodied animals (Namacalathus and Cloudina) lived 650,000,000 years ago: Primitive sea sponges lived? He said: 'We had chemical and molecular evidence of fossils at this time but we weren't finding any real fossil specimens. 'What Adam's group was able to find was first evidence of true fossils of sponges at this time. 'That was really important in having three lines of evidence for the early evolution of sponges right before this major Snowball Earth event that would have cut off and had some major climate events before the evolution of animals.' Fossils of ancient animals are difficult to study because it is hard to distinguish the remains of a living organism from the rock that encases them. X-rays can only tell the difference between materials of different densities. Dr Maloof's team used a U.S. design studio to reconstruct 3D models of the fossils, based on thousands of photographs. He said: 'We were accustomed to finding rocks with embedded mud chips, and at first this is what we thought we were seeing. 'But then we noticed these repeated shapes that we were finding everywhere - wishbones, rings, perforated slabs and anvils. 'We realised we had stumbled upon some sort of organism. 'We took the fossils home, sliced and diced them up, imaging every 50 microns or so and generating 3D images of these fossils which were otherwise inaccessible to traditional imaging techniques.' Snowball Earth: The sponges could predate a catastrophe which caused much of the Earth to be covered in ice around 635million years ago The images revealed repeated asymmetrical shapes, criss-crossed with millimetre wide canals. Martin Brasier, of the University of Oxford, said the find supported his theory that animal life kick-started 'Snowball Earth'. He told the New Scientist that the carbon in early life forms got buried in a constantly growing carbon sink - which sucked the carbon dioxide out of the air and caused global cooling. [/release]
That's pretty fucking cool
That's a long time.
Wow. That is old. Wonder what this will mean if we find something older then it though.
[QUOTE=Mikesword221;24159409]Wow. That is old. Wonder what this will mean if we find something older then it though.[/QUOTE] Well this is a complex organism, which dates back to 90 million years. Given that single cell organisms existed before complex organisms, it's safe to assume that there probably is something else even older, yet to be discovered. Kind of mind blowing when you think about it.
Oh boy, God is gonna be pissed when he hears this.
[QUOTE=MisterMooth;24159654]Oh boy, God is gonna be pissed when he hears this.[/QUOTE] no he isnt u dumbas hes just testing are faiith and ur failing
[QUOTE=BBKF;24159704]no he isnt u dumbas hes just testing are faiith and ur failing[/QUOTE] Get out of here, Catholic.
[QUOTE=BBKF;24159704]no he isnt u dumbas hes just testing are faiith and ur failing[/QUOTE] I can't tell if this is satire or not
Guys don't let the scientist fool you it is a test of faith. The world is 6000 years old and humans actually walked with the dinosaurs if you don't believe me watch the Flintstones it's a really good documentary.
[QUOTE=Sickle;24160126]Get out of here, Catholic.[/QUOTE] Gonna go play STALKER again.
Scientists conclude, trying to put a date on sponges is worthless. One claims that he needs a job as a scientist, studying new shit.
I am surprised no one has posted a picture of Cthulhu yet
[QUOTE=cjone2;24160424]I am surprised no one has posted a picture of Cthulhu yet[/QUOTE] Psshh were over Cthulhu. It's all about the sponges now. :smug:
[QUOTE=bigbigzubra;24160154]I can't tell if this is satire or not[/QUOTE] The obvious spelling errors show that it's satire.
I was expecting either the greatest variant on Badage Boys or something really mildly interesting. I am pleasantly surprised. Extremely so. This means we'll be rewriting some textbooks, that's for sure.
[QUOTE=Mikesword221;24160480]Psshh were over Cthulhu. It's all about the sponges now. :smug:[/QUOTE] [img]http://i419.photobucket.com/albums/pp280/Ghost_G45/SpongeBobSquarepantsWallpaper2800.jpg[/img] I for one welcome our new frycook sponge overlords.
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