Organically preserved Dickinsonia fossil from the White Sea area of Russia.
(Australian National University)
Posted on 09/21/2018 9:22:04 AM PDT by ETL
A previously unclassified creature that lived over 500 million years ago, considered the "Holy Grail of paleontology," has finally been identified, thanks to fossil fat.
The creature, known as Dickinsonia, was previously found in northwest Russia near the White Sea. It had not been classified before, until other recently found Dickinsonia fossils showed the presence of organic tissue, allowing researchers to identify molecules of cholesterol, described as "a hallmark" of animals.
Brocks added: “Scientists have been fighting for more than 75 years over what Dickinsonia and other bizarre fossils of the Edicaran Biota were: giant single-celled amoeba, lichen, failed experiments of evolution or the earliest animals on Earth. The fossil fat now confirms Dickinsonia as the oldest known animal fossil, solving a decades-old mystery that has been the Holy Grail of palaeontology.”
Dickinsonia came from a period known as the Ediacaran, which spanned about 94 million years from the end of the Cryogenian Period to the beginning of the Cambrian Period 541 Mya. Like other creatures alive during the period, it had a lack of physical features, such as limbs, organs or even a discernible head.
Its body measured approximately 5 feet in length "and was oval shaped with rib-like segments running along its body," the researchers noted in the statement.
The Dickinsonia might well be the earliest known animal, but the subject is still up for debate, according to LiveScience.
There is evidence that hints at the existence of sponges 635 million years ago, though the oldest fossilized sponge is only 520 million years old. According to a study done last year, jellyfish might be older, but that study used genetic analysis and not fossilized evidence.
The oldest life-form on Earth are microbes, which existed on the planet approximately 3.95 billion years ago.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
GUARD #4: chuckling
PILATE: What's so... funny about the name "Dickinsonia"?
CENTURION: Well, it's a joke name, sir.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=monty+python+biggus+dickus
"I used to keep those as pets!"
Hey I wasn’t even AT the party with Sonia!
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Can’t be any older than the planet itself: 6000 years +/-
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Who was Sonia?
What do you mean? An African or European swallow?
Organic tissue which is 558 million years old?
Sorry. I lack sufficient faith to swallow that one.
This was just after the last “snowball earth.”
Loved that show. In the clip you posted you can see Palin doing his best to keep from laughing as well.
That explains the earliest-known piece of writing.
It was a sign, originally written 558 million years ago.
“Barbequed Dickinsonia”, it read, “Available until it goes extinct.”
A high cholesterol diet got them all. Too many big macs and fries.
It doesn’t matter! A 4 oz bird can’t carry a 2 lb coconut!
It was a scene from one of their movies, Life of Brian. But, ironic that the title of the article included the words “Holy Grail”, another movie of theirs: Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Its body measured approximately 5 feet in length “and was oval shaped with rib-like segments running along its body,” the researchers noted in the statement.
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Incredible to think some considered it to be single celled.
It was wrapped in a Twinkie..............
Biologos is an excellent biology website run by Christians. Here’s their articles on the age of the Earth.
https://biologos.org/resources/all-resources?tag=6
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“Christians” means nothing at all.
Obviously not Bible believing, and obviously not in any way ‘scientific.’
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