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Weird Fossils Show Ancient Organism Reproducing

Posted by timothy on from the privacy-of-their-own-bedrock dept.

ananyo writes "Strange fossils from Doushantuo in China, have turned out to be 570-million-year-old snapshots of an organism caught in the act of reproducing. Researchers have used three-dimensional X-ray scanning techniques to see that the fossils contain nuclei-like structures — and one even has the dumb-bell shape of a modern nucleus about to replicate. The fossils have divided palaeontologists for over a decade. It now seems likely they are fossils of creatures similar to modern single-celled microorganisms called mesomycetozoeans that are neither animals nor bacteria."

5 of 32 comments (clear)

  1. CP? by vlm · · Score: 4, Funny

    snapshots of an organism caught in the act of reproducing.

    So its half a billion year old kiddie pr0n. nsfw. its a trap. I'm not clicking that link, not my thing at all. I remember when /. was more wholesome and family oriented and you just had to worry about goatse links.

    --
    "Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
  2. XXX by SJHillman · · Score: 4, Funny

    Whew, the .xxx TLD was made available just in time. Now we can register 570millionyearoldporn.xxx

  3. Rule 34. by roman_mir · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Those organisms existed, thus there must be their porn somewhere on the Internet.

    And now there is.

    --
    You can't handle the truth.
  4. Divided? by nitehawk214 · · Score: 4, Funny

    The fossils have divided palaeontologists for over a decade

    I see what you did there.

    --
    I'm a good cook. I'm a fantastic eater. - Steven Brust
  5. Re:Be careful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    If your erection lasts longer then 4 million years please call a physician?