Ancient 'Tree Trunks' May Be an Entirely New Branch of Life
Summary
Prototaxites, enigmatic fossilized 'tree trunks' dating back over 400 million years, may represent an entirely new branch of life, distinct from fungi and other known organisms, challenging our understanding of Earth's ancient biodiversity.
Key Points
- Prototaxites, an ancient organism resembling branchless tree trunks, may not be a fungus as previously thought
- Chemical analyses suggest Prototaxites lacks chitin found in fungi and may represent an entirely unknown branch of life
- The internal structure and molecular fingerprint of Prototaxites fossils are distinct from known fungi and other organisms preserved alongside it