Researchers report what may be the earliest fossil evidence of population-level “right-handedness” in animals. The finding is based on the Ediacaran-period organism Spriggina floundersi, which lived about 550 million years ago. Across more than one hundred preserved fossils from South Australia, scientists analyze fossil impressions thought to reflect consistent directional behavior—specifically a preference for turning or moving to the right. The researchers interpret these patterns as behavioral laterality, implying that left-right asymmetry in animal behavior and the associated neurological features may have emerged much earlier in evolutionary history than previously established. The work is described as originating from the fossil record and is presented in a study published in Scientific Reports, according to the outlets summarizing the research. While the results are framed as the earliest evidence for such handedness, the interpretation relies on how researchers read the fossil traces as indicators of movement behavior in living organisms.
550-million-year-old Spriggina fossil suggests earliest population-level right-handedness
Researchers report what may be the earliest fossil evidence of population-level “right-handedness” in animals. The finding is based on the Ediacaran-period organism Spriggina floundersi, which lived a...
- The study examines fossil evidence from the Ediacaran organism Spriggina floundersi.
- The fossils date to about 550 million years ago.
- Researchers report a consistent population-level preference for right-turning or rightward direction.
- Evidence is based on more than one hundred preserved fossils from South Australia.
- The findings suggest left-right behavioral asymmetry evolved earlier than previously thought.
Source: Google News - HealthScientists have uncovered what may be the earliest evidence of "right-handedness" in the animal kingdom, dating back more than half a billion years. The discovery comes from the fossil record of Spriggina floundersi, an organism that lived about 550 million years ago. These new findings, published in the journal Scientific Reports, suggest that the origins of left-right asymmetry in animals evolved far earlier than previously recognized.
1 month agoFossils suggest Spriggina floundersi, an ancient marine organism, displayed population-level right-handedness. This finding pushes the origins of left-right behavioral patterns much deeper into Earth's history. The discovery is based on over one hundred preserved fossils from South Australia. Researchers observed fossil impressions indicating a consistent directional preference during the organism's life. This suggests early neurological characteristics may have emerged much earlier than previously believed.
1 month agoFossils reveal the earliest animal with a head was also the oldest known ‘righty’ CNNThese Fossils May Be the Earliest Evidence of Handedness in Animals The New York TimesEarliest evidence of behavioural handedness in the Ediacaran motile bilaterian Spriggina floundersi | Scientific Reports NatureA worm that lived half a billion years ago preferred turning right New ScientistAncient fossil may reveal animal kingdom's earliest right-handedness at 550 million years old Phys.org
1 month agoScientists have uncovered what may be the earliest evidence of "right-handedness" in the animal kingdom, dating back more than half a billion years. The discovery comes from the fossil record of Spriggina floundersi, an organism from the Ediacaran Period that lived about 550 million years ago.
1 month agoAncient fossil may reveal animal kingdom's earliest right-handedness at 550 million years old Phys.orgFossils reveal the earliest animal with a head was also the oldest known ‘righty’ CNNThese Fossils May Be the Earliest Evidence of Handedness in Animals The New York TimesA worm that lived half a billion years ago preferred turning right New ScientistEarliest evidence of behavioural handedness in the Ediacaran motile bilaterian Spriggina floundersi | Scientific Reports Nature
1 month ago
STS-8 makes first night space shuttle launch and landing
The STS-8 space shuttle mission launches on August 30, 1983 and returns to Earth six days later on September 5, becoming...
Patriots release Hassan Haskins after trading for Corey Kiner
The New England Patriots release running back Hassan Haskins shortly after acquiring Corey Kiner in a trade. The move cr...
Delhi auto and taxi unions demand higher fares after CNG price rises
Delhi auto and taxi unions demand an increase in autorickshaw fares after CNG prices in the city rise by ₹3.89 per kg to...