Fat molecules preserved in fossils identify the mysterious Dickinsonia as an early animal
The identification of cholesterol molecules in 558-million-year-old Dickinsonia fossils has finally confirmed that these mysterious, quilted organisms were among Earth's earliest large animals.
For decades, the taxonomic identity of Dickinsonia costata remained a mystery, with theories ranging from giant single-celled protists to extinct fungi. In 2018, researchers analyzed fossils from the Ediacaran period and discovered remarkably preserved molecules of cholesterol, a hallmark of animal life. These fat biomarkers distinguish the 1.4-meter-long, pancake-like organisms from other kingdoms of life that inhabited the low-oxygen seas 558 million years ago.
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