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Fossil steroids record the appearance of Demospongiae during the Cryogenian period

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  • Gordon D. Love

    (University of California, Riverside, California 92521, USA
    Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 01239, USA)

  • Emmanuelle Grosjean

    (Geoscience Australia, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia)

  • Charlotte Stalvies

    (School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, University of Newcastle upon Tyne)

  • David A. Fike

    (California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA)

  • John P. Grotzinger

    (California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA)

  • Alexander S. Bradley

    (Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 01239, USA)

  • Amy E. Kelly

    (Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 01239, USA)

  • Maya Bhatia

    (Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 01239, USA)

  • William Meredith

    (School of Chemical, Environmental and Mining Engineering, University of Nottingham, University Park)

  • Colin E. Snape

    (School of Chemical, Environmental and Mining Engineering, University of Nottingham, University Park)

  • Samuel A. Bowring

    (Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 01239, USA)

  • Daniel J. Condon

    (Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 01239, USA
    Present address: NERC Isotope Geosciences Laboratory, Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5GG, UK.)

  • Roger E. Summons

    (Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 01239, USA)

Abstract

The earliest metazoans Chemical fossils discovered in sedimentary rocks in Oman provide the earliest evidence for animal life so far discovered. The fossil steroids — 24-isopropylcholestanes characteristic of sponges of the Demospongiae class — date back 635 million years or more to around the time of the Marinoan glaciation, the last of the immense ice ages at the end of the Neoproterozoic. This suggests that the shallow waters in some late Cryogenian ocean basins contained dissolved oxygen in concentrations sufficient to support simple multicellular organisms at least 100 million years before the rapid diversification of bilaterians during the Cambrian explosion.

Suggested Citation

  • Gordon D. Love & Emmanuelle Grosjean & Charlotte Stalvies & David A. Fike & John P. Grotzinger & Alexander S. Bradley & Amy E. Kelly & Maya Bhatia & William Meredith & Colin E. Snape & Samuel A. Bowri, 2009. "Fossil steroids record the appearance of Demospongiae during the Cryogenian period," Nature, Nature, vol. 457(7230), pages 718-721, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:457:y:2009:i:7230:d:10.1038_nature07673
    DOI: 10.1038/nature07673
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    Cited by:

    1. Malory O. Brown & Babatunde O. Olagunju & José-Luis Giner & Paula V. Welander, 2023. "Sterol methyltransferases in uncultured bacteria complicate eukaryotic biomarker interpretations," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-11, December.
    2. Lennart Ramme & Tatiana Ilyina & Jochem Marotzke, 2024. "Moderate greenhouse climate and rapid carbonate formation after Marinoan snowball Earth," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-11, December.
    3. Katsuhiko Shimizu & Michika Nishi & Yuto Sakate & Haruka Kawanami & Tomohiro Bito & Jiro Arima & Laia Leria & Manuel Maldonado, 2024. "Silica-associated proteins from hexactinellid sponges support an alternative evolutionary scenario for biomineralization in Porifera," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-19, December.
    4. Kang, Shijie & Zhang, Shijing & Wang, Zhendong & Li, Shengli & Zhao, Fangci & Yang, Jie & Zhou, Lingbo & Deng, Yang & Sun, Guidong & Yu, Hongdong, 2023. "Highly efficient catalytic pyrolysis of oil shale by CaCl2 in subcritical water," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 274(C).
    5. Malcolm S Hill & April L Hill & Jose Lopez & Kevin J Peterson & Shirley Pomponi & Maria C Diaz & Robert W Thacker & Maja Adamska & Nicole Boury-Esnault & Paco Cárdenas & Andia Chaves-Fonnegra & Elizab, 2013. "Reconstruction of Family-Level Phylogenetic Relationships within Demospongiae (Porifera) Using Nuclear Encoded Housekeeping Genes," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(1), pages 1-16, January.
    6. T. Brunoir & C. Mulligan & A. Sistiaga & K. M. Vuu & P. M. Shih & S. S. O’Reilly & R. E. Summons & D. A. Gold, 2023. "Common origin of sterol biosynthesis points to a feeding strategy shift in Neoproterozoic animals," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-8, December.
    7. Jikun Liu & Litao Wang & Fei Chen & Wenya Hu & Chenglong Dong & Yinghao Wang & Yehua Han, 2023. "Molecular Characterization of Hydrocarbons in Petroleum by Ultrahigh-Resolution Mass Spectrometry," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(11), pages 1-16, May.
    8. Huyue Song & Zhihui An & Qin Ye & Eva E. Stüeken & Jing Li & Jun Hu & Thomas J. Algeo & Li Tian & Daoliang Chu & Haijun Song & Shuhai Xiao & Jinnan Tong, 2023. "Mid-latitudinal habitable environment for marine eukaryotes during the waning stage of the Marinoan snowball glaciation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-9, December.

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