In a recent study published in Nature, scientists have announced the discovery of the Oldest-known Fossils of a fungus named Ourasphaira giraldae.
About:
What is it? Ourasphaira giraldae was a multicellular fungus.
Timeline: It lived in an estuary environment about 900 million to 1 billion years ago. This fungus is forerunner to an immensely diverse group that today includes the likes of mushrooms, yeasts and molds.
Recent discovery: Its microfossils have been recently excavated in an Arctic region of north-western Canada.
Oldest-known fungus: These microscopic fossils date back to the Proterozoic era, before the advent of complex life forms and thus represent the oldest-known fungus. Until now, the oldest-known fungus fossil was one about 410 million years old from Scotland.
Significance: The discovery sheds light on the origins of an important branch in earth’s tree of life.
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