Continued...One of the approximately 600-million-year-old fossils unearthed in China this organism was probably seaweed. It has a root-like holdfast to secure it to the sea floor, a conical stem and a crown of ribbon-like structures.
Zhe Chen
Strange fossils, including some that could be predecessors to modern animals, found in China shed new light on the evolution of large, complex organisms, and indicate that they may have diversified earlier than thought.
Researchers believe that the rocks containing these fossils, found in southern Anhui Provence, date between 635 million and 580 million years ago. The new types of organisms discovered in them include two that are fan-shaped, as long as 2 inches (5 centimeters), and resemble seaweed, as well as three other new types of organisms that are difficult to classify as animal or plant.
"Some of my colleagues are more leaning toward the animal interpretation," said study researcher Shuhai Xiao, a professor of geobiology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. "But my personal view is that we still don't know what they are."
Mysterious fossils are fossils that do not fit into any existing classification of plants or animals. These fossils have features that are not seen in any known species and their classification remains a mystery to scientists.
Scientists classify fossils based on their physical characteristics, such as their shape, size, and structure. They also look at the environment in which the fossils were found and compare them to existing species to determine their classification.
Mysterious fossils are difficult to classify because they have features that do not fit into any existing classification. This makes it challenging for scientists to determine whether they are plant or animal fossils, and where they fit in the evolutionary history of life on Earth.
There are several theories about the origin of mysterious fossils. Some scientists believe that they could be from a completely unknown species or a transitional form between plants and animals. Others suggest that they could be a result of convergent evolution, where unrelated species evolve similar features.
Mysterious fossils are important to science because they challenge our understanding of the evolution of life on Earth. They provide clues about ancient ecosystems and the diversity of species that existed in the past. Studying these fossils can also lead to new discoveries and a better understanding of the natural world.