Humans' closest invertebrate ancestors date back much further than thought
Why it matters: This finding rewrites the timeline for the emergence of complex animal life, impacting evolutionary biology.
- Animal life is incredibly diverse and complex, having adapted to nearly all environments on Earth.
- The planet did not always host complex animal life, with the first 3.7 billion years after its origin largely devoid of it.
- Humans' closest invertebrate ancestors are now understood to date back much further than prior estimates, suggesting an earlier onset of complex animal evolution.
New research indicates that the closest invertebrate ancestors to humans emerged significantly earlier than previously believed, pushing back the timeline for the evolution of complex animal life on Earth. This discovery challenges existing understandings of early animal diversification and the conditions that fostered it.
