
Dickinsonia
555 million years ago
A Body Plan That Defies Our Categories
When Dickinsonia fossils were first described, scientists debated whether they were animals, lichens, giant protozoa, or something entirely separate from known kingdoms. Later work on fossil steroids and growth patterns points most strongly to an animal affinity, likely related to early bilaterians, but the debate forced biologists to confront how much of our taxonomy is based on modern forms.
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When Dickinsonia fossils were first described, scientists debated whether they were animals, lichens, giant protozoa, or something entirely separate from known kingdoms. Later work on fossil steroids and growth patterns points most strongly to an animal affinity, likely related to early bilaterians, but the debate forced biologists to confront how much of our taxonomy is based on modern forms.






























































