This weird little fungus may be the oldest fossilized land creature ever found

[jpak]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2016/03/02/this-weird-little-fungus-may-be-the-oldest-fossilized-land-creature-ever-found/

Once upon a time, our fishy ancestors wriggled their way out of the water and took their first squishy steps on land, heralding a new age for life on Earth.

But first, plants and other organisms had to turn the land into a place worth living. And one researcher believes that a strange little fungus — which may be the oldest evidence of life on Earth we've seen — helped turn Earth's barren landscape into a lush habitat.

The fossilized fungus is called Tortotubus. In a study published Wednesday in the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, Durham University's Martin Smith describes some specimens that could be over 440 million years old.

"There is a little bit of uncertainty with dating that particular specimen, so it’s possible the date will creep up a bit," Smith told The Post. "It’s possible that more precise studies will revise the age, but I think it’s unlikely that this will make it younger than the second-oldest terrestrial fossil," which came at least 5 million years later, he said.

<more>

italics my edit