Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have obtained new scientific results considered important regarding the earliest stages of life on Earth. Researchers have stated that certain “chemical fossils” discovered in sedimentary rocks from 541 million years ago could belong to ancient marine sponges.
AzEdu.az reports, citing foreign media, that these fossils are the remains of lipid molecules called steranes. Steranes are considered geological traces of substances located in cell membranes, and researchers believe that these traces could belong to demosponges – organisms considered among the first multicellular animals on Earth.
Scientists note that the precise identification of these findings could lead to a re-evaluation of existing scientific theories regarding when and how life formed on Earth. According to MIT researchers, chemical fossils provide important clues about the evolutionary lineage of life by preserving traces of ancient biological systems.
Currently, the team is conducting additional analyses to more precisely determine the source, age, and biological origin of the samples. Scientists believe that the research could lead to rewriting the history of sponges and early multicellular organisms.
