567-Million-Year-Old Fossils Reveal Oldest Animal Sex and Early Movement
Scientists report the oldest fossil evidence of sexual reproduction and locomotion in animals, dating to about 567 million years ago in Canada’s Northwest Territories as part of the White Sea assemblage. The finds, including Dickinsonia and Funisia, push the origin of animal sex back by 5–10 million years and reveal long‑lived offshore Ediacaran ecosystems; researchers aim to discover more specimens (perhaps a new species) at the site.
