The paper, published in the journal Papers in Paleontology, recounts an assemblage of eukaryotic fossils from an era early in the group's evolutionary history. The authors describe four new taxa ...

But scientists know almost nothing about the abundance, ecology and habitats of those early microorganisms. Molecular and physical fossils of eukaryotes dated to 800 million years ago have been found.

Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.” So goes the famous dictum of Sherlock Holmes, echoed by paleobotanist C. Kevin Boyce in summarizing ...

All animals, plants, and fungi are eukaryotes, and if complex cells had not developed on Earth, there would be no fish, flowers, mushrooms, or humans. While the oldest confirmed fossils of ...

Chinese archaeologists have discovered a batch of fossils of multicellular eukaryotes that date back to 1.63 billion years ago, setting the world's oldest record of such fossils. These well ...

Molecules found in 1.6-billion-year-old Australian rocks are believed to be remnants of a “lost world” of ancient organisms that comprised the earliest complex life. “We say they are a lost ...

“The conclusion that it is a completely unknown eukaryote certainly creates an air of mystery and intrigue around it — probably not likely to be solved until more fossils are discovered or new ...

Fossil records offering convincing evidence show that eukaryotes with simple multicellularity, such as red and green algae, and putative fungi, appeared as early as 1.05 billion years ago.

Fossilized claw tracks discovered in Australia show that the animal group that includes reptiles, mammals and birds formed earlier than expected ...

The paper, published in the journal Papers in Paleontology, recounts an assemblage of eukaryotic fossils from an era early in the group’s evolutionary history. The authors describe four new taxa ...

The sun has just set on a quiet mudflat in Australia’s Northern Territory; it’ll set again in another 19 hours. A young moon looms large over the desolate landscape. No animals scurry in the waning ...