The Ediacaran is the terminal period of the Neoproterozoic Era, spanning approximately 635 to 541 million years ago, immediately preceding the Cambrian Period. It is defined stratigraphically by the base of the Marinoan glacial cap carbonates and capped by the Precambrian–Cambrian boundary, often marked by the first appearance of complex trace fossils. The Ediacaran is characterized by the emergence and diversification of soft-bodied multicellular eukaryotes, including the Ediacara biota, and is associated with major shifts in ocean chemistry, redox structure, and nutrient availability that set the stage for subsequent Phanerozoic animal radiations.
An international study led by Flinders University has found a fertile area of inspiration to explain an important step in evolution—and it's a whole lot of poop. The new study describes the "fecal revolution" to explain a ...
Ecology
Aug 4, 2026
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Scientists have uncovered what may be the earliest evidence of "right-handedness" in the animal kingdom, dating back more than half a billion years. The discovery comes from the fossil record of Spriggina floundersi, an organism ...
Evolution
Jul 9, 2026
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The way that Earth's first animals reproduced held back life's diversity for millions of years, until stress and competition led to the development of sexual reproduction, which in turn accelerated the pace of evolution.
Evolution
Jun 9, 2026
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Bryozoans are tiny, filter-feeding colonial invertebrates that thrive in the world's oceans today, yet for decades their origins presented a puzzling gap in the fossil record. While nearly every other major animal group made ...
Evolution
Jun 3, 2026
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Tracks left by some of the earliest complex animals are giving new insights into how they experienced the world. New research reveals how these creatures started to understand their surroundings, paving the way for animal ...
Evolution
Jun 2, 2026
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From butterflies to blue whales, corals and worms, Earth is home to an incredible diversity of animals. How all of these animals evolved from earlier, simpler ancestors is one of the most exciting stories in the history book ...
Evolution
May 21, 2026
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Researchers have uncovered a remarkable fossil site in a remote part of Canada's Northwest Territories, offering unprecedented insight into the earliest evolution of complex animal life on Earth. Findings from the site represent ...
Evolution
May 20, 2026
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From the highest mountains to the deepest ocean, the driest desert to the lushest jungle, Earth displays a dazzling array of life-forms. And eukaryotes account for many of these life-forms, including nearly all of the multicellular ...
Cell & Microbiology
May 20, 2026
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A reexamination of microfossils found in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul shows that the marks previously interpreted as traces of worms or other small oceanic animals are actually communities of fossilized microscopic ...
Cell & Microbiology
May 11, 2026
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About 600 million years ago, the continents wandered Earth, yet to settle into their current positions. Their locations during the Ediacaran (as this time is called) have been tough for scientists to pin down. Earth's magnetic ...
Earth Sciences
May 5, 2026
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