Older than we ever thought? The tiny fossil clue that could push animal origins back

Microscopic squiggles found in 890-million-year-old Canadian reef rocks may represent the oldest animal body fossils, potentially pushing back the origin of animal life by 350 million years. These structures, resembling the skeletons of modern sponges, challenge the traditional view of the Cambrian explosion as the definitive start of animal evolution, suggesting early animals coexisted with bacteria in low-oxygen environments.

By TOI Science Desk