Corentin Loron/University of Liege/Reuters
- Scientists discovered fossils of the oldest known fungus in the Canadian arctic. Fungi include mushrooms, yeasts, and molds.
- The billion-year-old fungus, called Ourasphaira giraldae, provides clues about how life may have evolved on land.
- In a new study, researchers discuss how the discovery of fungi like this one, which are more closely related to animals than plants, could indicate that animal ancestors were around 1 billion years ago.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
When single-celled organisms first came into being out of the primordial ooze, they were content to meander the oceans. But at some point around 430 million years ago, plants and early animals left their watery cradle and journeyed landward, eventually colonizing the bare expanses of our planet's continents.
Scientists posit that plants were the first pioneers to make this trek from sea to land. Now, a billion-year-old fossil discovery shows that fungi may have led the way 500 million years earlier than we thought.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
NOW WATCH: This 2,000-year-old killer fungus in Oregon is the world's largest living organism
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- Only 80,000 koalas remain in the world, rendering them 'functionally extinct' — another victim of the 6th mass extinction
from Business Insider http://bit.ly/2WoWbJZ
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