Ancient 'animal embryos' turned out not to be what they thought they were - study

It's about one of the key findings in the study of early life on Earth.

Details

The study focused on microscopic fossils found in southern China.

These structures have long been thought to be embryos because they are made up of dividing cells and look like early animal development.

However, a new analysis using 3D scanning has revealed that their development is different.

The scientists found that:

• the cells do not divide in the same way as in animal embryos
• the structure does not retain the expected shape during development
• the organisation of the cells differs from known biological models

In the early stages, these objects do resemble embryos, but the resemblance disappears with further development.

This indicates that they probably belong to other ancient multicellular organisms.

Why it matters

The results could change the understanding of when animals evolved.

The scientists note:

• some of the key evidence could have been misinterpreted
• early evolution may have proceeded differently than thought
• the emergence of animals may have happened later

This helps reconstruct the history of life on Earth more accurately.

Background

These fossils are from the Ediacaran period, a time when the first complex life forms began to appear.

Previously, the findings from China were considered one of the main pieces of evidence for the existence of early animals.

Source

The study is based on the analysis of hundreds of microscopic fossils from the Wen'an Biota (China) using 3D tomography and cell counting. The material is published in Biology Letters (2026).