Most of the creatures we see today, made up of hundreds of millions of cells, have complex body structures. However, when creatures on Earth first appeared, they were only a few microns long and could not be seen by the naked eye. When did the change of long "big" happen? Recently, a joint study by Chinese and British scientists found that the key change of biological growth "big" occurred 602 million years ago.
Restoration map of the Bluefield biota. Courtesy of Wan Bin, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Yang Chuan, a doctor from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences who participated in the research, introduced that the Lantian biota from Xiuning County, Anhui Province, is the earliest "large" biota discovered by the scientific community so far. This ancient biota, buried in the black shale, contains at least 18 "large" creatures of different forms. These organisms were made up of many cells and morphologically resembled today's coelenterates or worms. They belong to a branch of eukaryotes in their biological lineage, which is often referred to as "higher life".
Bluefield biota fossils. Courtesy of Wan Bin, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
This time, the researchers used CT scans, isotope analysis and other methods to accurately determine the "age" of "large" organisms in the Lantian biota. The research team selected a core of about 35 cm long in the formation where the Lantian biota is located, systematically analyzed its chemical composition and sedimentary characteristics, and finally accurately determined that the Bluefield biota began to appear 602 million years ago.
The black shale where the Bluefield biota is located. Courtesy of Wan Bin, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
"These 'large' multicellular organisms in Lantian are still 'small' from today's point of view, and most of their bodies are only a few centimeters long. But the evolution from a simple organism of the 'micron level' to a multicellular higher organism of the 'centimeter level' is already a milestone 'leap' in the history of evolution. During the Cambrian explosion of life, the largest body of the organism could reach 2 meters long, the structure and function were more complex, and the ancestors of many modern creatures began to appear. "Yang Legend.
Core and CT imaging pictures. Courtesy of Li Yang, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
The study was jointly completed by the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the British Geological Survey, durham University in the United Kingdom, and the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The results have recently been published in the international geological journal Geology.
Source: Xinhua Viewpoint