The earliest fossil of the moss worm on Earth was found in Zhenba County, Shaanxi

Source: People's Daily - People's Daily

Xi'an, November 3 (Reporter Gong Shijian) On October 27, the journal Nature published the latest results of Doctoral Student Zhang Zhiliang and others under the guidance of Professor Zhang Zhifei of the Early Life Research Team of Northwest University - "Fossil Evidence Reveals that the Moss Animal Phylum originated in the Early Cambrian Period", and found the earliest known fossils of moss animals (mosses) on the earth in Zhenba County, southern Shaanxi. The research results further support the "three-act Cambrian explosion" hypothesis proposed by the early life research team of Northwest University led by Shu Degan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, perfecting the construction process of cambrian earth animal trees lasting 40 million years, and effectively connecting the explosive and phased fossil evidence chains of the three major animal subcategories (basic animals, protozoa and post-mouth animals).

The Cambrian explosion is the most magnificent event known on Earth for the eruption of life by symmetrical animals on both sides. However, the moss phylum has lacked a conclusive Cambrian fossil record. Their individual size, group life, modular growth, and ecological complexity have long been considered the product of ordovician radiation.

People's Daily (13/11/2021)