Cited by 236Paleontology and Stratigraphy of FossilsPaleontology and Evolutionary BiologyOrigins and Evolution of Life

Ancient steroids establish the Ediacaran fossil Dickinsonia as one of the earliest animals

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Bobrovskiy, Ilya, Hope, Janet M., Ivantsov, Andrey, Nettersheim, Benjamin J., Hallmann, Christian, Brocks, Jochen J.·2018·Science

Abstract

Confirming the identity of early animals: The first complex organisms emerged during the Ediacaran period, around 600 million years ago. The taxonomic affiliation of many of these organisms has been difficult to discern. Fossils of Dickinsonia, bilaterally symmetrical oval organisms, have been particularly difficult to classify. Bobrovskiy et al.conducted an analysis using lipid biomarkers obtained from Dickinsonia fossils and found that the fossils contained almost exclusively cholesteroids, a marker found only in animals (see the Perspective by Summons and Erwin). Thus,Dickinsonia were basal animals. This supports the idea that the Ediacaran biota may have been a precursor to the explosion of animal forms later observed in the Cambrian, about 500 million years ago. Science, this issue p.1246; see also p.1198

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  • Phosphatised proposed animal embryos date to 635-590 Ma.

    “635-590 Ma, possible stem-group cnidarian Lantianella laevis (125), phosphatised proposed animal embryos (126)”

    From Integrated records of environmental change and evolution challenge the Cambrian Explosion (2019) · cites this paper as [126]

    The main text dates Dickinsonia to 558 Ma and describes organically preserved fossils, but does not address phosphatised proposed animal embryos. Searches for embryos, phosphatised or phosphatized fossils, and 635–590 Ma found no passage establishing the claimed date; page numbers were unavailable in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.76)

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Research works printed but not linked: 5

  1. [1]1. R. C. Sprigg, Early Cambrian (?) jellyfishes from the Flinders Ranges, South Australia. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 71, 212-224 (1947).
  2. [2]2. M. F. Glaessner, The dawn of animal life: a biohistorical study. (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 1984), pp. 244.
  3. [12]12. D. Grazhdankin, in Encyclopedia of Geobiology, J. Reitner, V. Thiel, Eds. (Springer Netherlands, Dordrecht, 2011), pp. 342-348.
  4. [46]46. R. C. Janaway, S. L. Percival, A. S. Wilson, in Microbiology and Aging: Clinical 10 Manifestations, S. L. Percival, Ed. (Humana Press, Totowa, NJ, 2009), pp. 313-334.
  5. [54]54. K. Peters, C. Walters, J. Moldowan, The Biomarker Guide. Volume 2. Biomarkers and Isotopes in Petroleum Systems and Earth History. (Cambridge University Press, New 30 York, ed. 2nd, 2005), pp. 634.

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Authors
Bobrovskiy, I., Hope, J. M., Ivantsov, A., Nettersheim, B. J., Hallmann, C., & Brocks, J. J.
Affiliations
  • Australian National University (AU)
  • Russian Academy of Sciences (RU)
  • Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry (DE)
  • University of Bremen (DE)
Venue
Science
Published
2018-09-21
Volume
361
Issue
6408
Pages
1246-1249
ISSN
  • 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
  • 1095-9203
OpenAlex
W2891173296
Cited by
236
References
50
Citations by year
2026: 10 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 31 · 2021: 34 · 2020: 59 · 2019: 36 · 2018: 7
FWCI
25.02
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Science (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • ANU Open Research (Australian National University) (submittedVersion)
  • Publication Database GFZ (GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences) (submittedVersion)
  • MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Australian Education International, Australian Government
  • Agouron Institute
  • Australian Research Council (DP160100607, DP170100556)
  • Russian Foundation for Basic Research (17-05-02212A)
  • Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Origins and Evolution of Life
Keywords
Dickinsonia, Ediacaran biota, lipid biomarkers, early animal evolution, origin of animals, Cambrian explosion, Precambrian fossils, paleoecology
MeSH terms
Animals, Biological Evolution, Fossils, Invertebrates, Paleontology, Russia, Steroids, Biomarkers, Geologic Sediments, Biota

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