The remains of an ancient meal are helping scientists learn about Earth's oldest large animals.
The algae that they ate are rich in energy and nutrients and may have been key to Kimberella’s growth, according to the study. Nearly all fossils of organisms that pre-dateUsing chemical analysis, the team was able to extract and analyze the sterol molecules contained in the fossil tissue. Cholesterol is important because it isare among the earliest known ancestors of all present-day animals.
, which was a possible sign that it had a gut. When the team on this study analyzed the gut molecules, they were able to determine that Kimberella could determine exactly what it was eating and how to digest it. Additionally, Kimberella was so advanced that it even knew exactly which sterols were good for it and had fine-tuned gut to filter out all the rest.
“This was a Eureka moment for us; by using preserved chemical in the fossils, we can now make gut contents of animals visible even if the gut has since long decayed,”, from the Australian National University Research School of Earth Sciences. But, Dickinsonia, which Brooks deems even weirder than Kimberella, did not have a gut, which really shows how advanced Kimerella is.
So, as you gather around the table to give thanks on Thursday, say a quick thank you to Kimberella and all the other Ediacara, because without them, you might not be able to stuff your face with turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce.
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