Animalele ar fi apărut cu 200 de milioane de ani mai devreme decât fosilele

A new study suggests that animals may have appeared on Earth up to 200 million years earlier than previously thought, based on research from Oxford University. Researchers analyzed over 140 samples from Mongolia, discovering new microfossils but no definitive animal remains. They argue that the absence of fossils does not imply that animals did not exist, as they may have lived in different environments. The study estimates the emergence of the first animals between 800 and 700 million years ago, with evidence of sponges existing at least 650 million years ago. However, the authors caution that their analysis does not confirm the presence of animals 800 million years ago.