Fossils that formed 890 million years ago in what is now the Northwest Territories may be by far the oldest evidence of animal life ever found, a controversial new Canadian study suggests. That would also make them more than 300 million years older than the oldest confirmed animal fossil until now, 574-million-year-old fossils from Mistaken Point, N.L. The previous oldest confirmed sponge — widely considered to be the earliest group of animals — lived 535 million years ago. (C. Gilbert)The reef pockets and crevices in the Mackenzie Mountains where the worm-like sponge fossils were found are similar to the environments where sponges live today, she said. Jonathan Antcliffe is a paleontologist at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland who has previously disputed other "oldest sponge" fossil discoveries .

Source: CBC News July 28, 2021 16:36 UTC