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What was the first animal on Earth?

Live Science
Summary
Nutrition label

73% Informative

Some of the best information about early animals comes from fossils dating back to the Cambrian period, which started around 541 million years ago .

A study using chromosomal data from modern ctenophores argues they were the first known animals.

A paleobiologist at Laurentian University in Ontario proposes what she says is an 890 million -year-old sponge.

She thinks the earliest animal fossils probably had little or no pattern.

"It would have looked like a microscopic bit of slime," she said. Katherine Irving is a freelance science journalist specializing in wildlife and the geosciences. After graduating from Macalester College , where she wrote screenplays, excavated dinosaur bones and vaccinated wolves, Katherine dove straight into internships with Science Magazine and The Scientist . She now contributes to the Science Magazine podcast and loves reporting about the beautiful intricacies of our planet..

VR Score

88

Informative language

93

Neutral language

64

Article tone

informal

Language

English

Language complexity

55

Offensive language

not offensive

Hate speech

not hateful

Attention-grabbing headline

not detected

Known propaganda techniques

not detected

Time-value

long-living

Affiliate links

7

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