Vendobionta was a proposed grouping of enigmatic Ediacaran organisms, often interpreted as stem animals. Ilya Bobrovskiy and colleagues detected cholesterol degradation products in exceptionally preserved Dickinsonia fossils, supporting Dickinsonia's animal affinity. Dr Frankie Dunn at Oxford's Museum of Natural History also found animal-like growth patterns in Ediacaran material. The video argues that Dickinsonia's result extends to other Ediacaran vendobionts, but the published molecular finding directly supports the identification of Dickinsonia.
Cholesterol evidence supports Dickinsonia as an early animal
Key facts
- Vendobionta is a proposed grouping of enigmatic Ediacaran organisms, often interpreted as stem animals, rather than an established extinct kingdom.
- Ilya Bobrovskiy and colleagues detected cholesterol and degradation products in exceptionally preserved Dickinsonia fossils; cholesterol reached up to 93% of the specimens' total sterol content, supporting Dickinsonia's animal affinity.
- The molecular study directly supported the animal affinity of Dickinsonia. The video argues that this also supports animal status for other Ediacaran vendobionts, a broader inference not established for every member of the group.
- Dr Frankie Dunn's growth-mode studies at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History found animal-like growth patterns in the Ediacaran material studied, supporting animal interpretations of those organisms.
Sources
Dickinsoniaen.wikipedia.org
In 2018 it was found that many Russian specimens contained cholesterol, which is only produced by animals, supporting an animal affinity.
Cholesterol traces suggest these mysterious fossils were ...sciencenews.org
Researchers led by paleontologist Ilya Bobrovskiy. The team found an abundance of cholesterol that points firmly to the animal kingdom.
Ancient steroids establish the Ediacaran fossil Dickinsonia ...pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
by I Bobrovskiy · 2018 · Cited by 285 — Authors Ilya Bobrovskiy 1 ・ lipid biomarkers extracted from organically preserved Ediacaran macrofossils ・ produced cholesteroids,
Molecular fossil solves paleontology mystery - ACS Publicationspubs.acs.org
Greater than 97% of the sterols in the Dickinsonia sample were cholesteroids—27-carbon compounds present in almost all animals in the form of cholesterol. The ...
Earliest animal fossils are identifiedbbc.com
He found that Dickinsonia fossils contained very high levels of cholesterol molecules - up to 93% - compared with the surrounding sediment, ...
Fat helps identify world's oldest known animal - CORDIScordis.europa.eu
The Dickinsonia fossils contained very high levels of cholesterol molecules, reaching up to 93 %. Bobrovskiy was the one who made the discovery ...
Cholesterol's molecular fossil identifies Earth's oldest large ...cen.acs.org
An organically preserved Dickinsonia fossil from the White Sea area of Russia, approximately 5.5 cm wide. Credit: Ilya Bobrovskiy/Australian ...
Ancient Cholesterol Confirms Dickinsonia as One of ...sci.news
Dr. Brocks, Australian National University PhD scholar Ilya Bobrovskiy and their colleagues discovered a Dickinsonia fossil so well preserved in ...
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