Ancient rocks in India give clues to early life

Ancient rocks in India give clues to early life

 News

1. Latest research found a steroid compound produced only by sponges in ancient rocks and oils from India, Oman, Siberia, which are among the earliest forms of animal life

Important Facts

2. Researchers at the University of California, Riverside in the U.S. tracked molecular signs of animal life, called biomarkers, as far back as 660-635 million years ago during the Neoproterozoic era.
3. Researcher identified the biomarker, a steroid compound named 26-methylstigmastane (26-mes), has a unique structure that is currently only known to be synthesised by certain species of modern sponges called demosponges.
4. This is dating back at least 100 million years before the famous Cambrian explosion of animal fossils
5. The “Cambrian Explosion” refers to the sudden appearance in the fossil record of complex animals with mineralised skeletal remains 541 million years ago.
6. Researcher are trying to find distinctive and stable biomarkers that indicate the existence of sponges and other early animals, rather than single-celled organisms that dominated the earth for billions of years before the dawn of complex, multicellular life