Scientists discover extinct species that was 26 feet long and inhabited the Earth over 400 million years ago
Diario AS • • science
Key Points:
- A new study published in Science Advances reveals that prototaxites, giant structures from 400 million years ago, were neither plants, fungi, nor animals, but belonged to a previously unknown and extinct lineage.
- Led by Corentin Loron, the research used microscopic and chemical analyses of fossils from Rhynie, Scotland, showing prototaxites had a unique internal structure unlike any known living organisms.
- These colossal organisms, up to 26 feet tall, dominated early Devonian landscapes, challenging the long-held belief that fungi were the earliest dominant terrestrial giants.
- The discovery rewrites evolutionary history by adding a new branch to the eukaryotic family tree and reshaping our understanding of early land ecosystems before the rise of
