The Press Stories
Scientists have discovered a rare fossil of a fungal microbe that lived at the end of the Ice Age 635 million years ago.
Fiber bacterial fossils in China, an ancient fungus. Image: Andrew Saja.
In a press release Nature Communications On January 28, researchers from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute of the United States (Virginia Tech) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) confirmed that it was the oldest known landform fossil ever found. It was three times earlier on Earth than the first dinosaurs.
Fossils of this creature have been excavated in dolomite sedimentary rock formations in the Dous Sanduo geological formations in southern China. Although Doushantuo is well known as a fossil hotspot, it is the first specimen to be found in the lower layer of dolomite. The team is not yet sure if this is a fungus, but there is ample evidence that there are similarities between them.
“This is an accidental discovery. They discovered some long strands that look like threads, one of the main characteristics of fungi. This is something that scientists have been searching for a long time. . “This discovery is important to understand the many turning points throughout the history of the Earth, including the Ediagara period and the development of fungi on Earth.”
Ediagara is a geological epoch in the Mesozoic era, dating from about 635 to 542 million years ago. When the Ediacara period began, the earth began to recover from a catastrophic ice age. At that time, the surface of the oceans froze to a depth of more than a kilometer – a harsh environment for most organisms. Scientists wondered how the resurrection could return to normal and that the biosphere could grow larger and more complex than ever.
With the new fossil, Diane and colleagues confirm that these microscopic cave creatures played a key role in the regeneration of the landscape during the Edyagara period.
In particular, mushrooms have a unique digestive system, which helps to metabolize important nutrients. Using environmentally friendly enzymes, they can chemically break down rocks and other persistent organic matter.
“Fungi have an interrelationship with plant roots, which help mobilize phosphorus-like minerals. Due to their relationship with terrestrial plants and important nutrient cycles, they have an image.” Enjoy improving global weather, biochemistry, and biochemistry. “
Previous studies have shown that fungi and plants only formed a symbiotic relationship about 400 million years ago, but this finding could be one and a half times behind the previous point.
Don Duong (As stated therein Science Daily)
