The Best in Science News and Amazing Breakthroughs
More than half a billion years ago, mystery predators bored into shelled animals' defensive casings. Some of the holey shells became fossilized, and now tell us the story of the earliest known battle between predator and prey that influenced both species' evolution.
"This critically important evolutionary record demonstrates, for the first time, that predation played a pivotal role in the proliferation of early animal ecosystems,", found at what's now Flinders Ranges, South Australia. They lived and died amidst one of the Earth's earliest explosions of life's diversity, the
How such a rapid diversification of life occurred has long fascinated researchers.
The positioning of the punctures and that they occurred in about the same point in all the examined shells, as well as shells from neighboring species, suggests they were the result of predatory action, the researchers explain.shells range from the size of a grain of sand to a sunflower seed, and the researchers were able to recover more than 200 of them with the telltale holes of a perforating predator.
By mapping them out according to their biological ages, Bicknell and team could see that the shells got thicker after a spate of hole punching occurred, reducing the frequency of shells with holes.This cycle of prey boosting its defenses and predator boosting its weapons seems to illustrate an evolutionary arms race – and at 517 million years old, it's now the earliest known example.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Ancient Fossils Reveal Earliest Known Predator-Prey Arms RaceResearchers have discovered the oldest evidence of an evolutionary arms race, dating back 517 million years, in fossils from South Australia. The study reveals a deadly game of cat-and-mouse between a small shelled animal, Lapworthella, and a predator likely a soft-bodied creature. As the predator evolved to pierce Lapworthella's shell, the prey responded by developing thicker armor, showcasing a classic example of an evolutionary arms race.
Read more »
Alabama AD Calls on Fans to 'Fight Back' in NIL Arms RaceGreg Byrne, the athletic director at the University of Alabama, has urged fans to engage in the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) market to help the Crimson Tide keep its competitive edge. Byrne acknowledges that Alabama's rivals are aggressively pursuing players with lucrative NIL offers, and he believes it's time for Alabama fans to step up and support their athletes financially.
Read more »
Alabama AD Calls for Fan Support in NIL Arms RaceAlabama athletic director Greg Byrne urges fans to support the school's NIL efforts as competition intensifies in college athletics.
Read more »
Hypersonic Missiles at Center of New US Arms Race Against Russia and ChinaThe test was a major step in moving forward with the first operational deployment of a hypersonic missile, a U.S. defense official said.
Read more »
The New Nuclear Arms Race: A Looming ThreatThe world is facing a new nuclear arms race, with the United States, Russia, and China all actively developing and expanding their nuclear arsenals. The article highlights the concerning trend of increased nuclear weapon production and testing, outlining the specific actions taken by each nation. It features insights from Joseph Cirincione, a nuclear weapons expert, who draws parallels to past periods of nuclear buildup and expresses deep worry about the current trajectory.
Read more »
Fossil record reveals 517 million-year-old predator-prey ‘arms race’This ancient predator-prey relationship took place 517 million years ago in the ocean that once covered the region of South Australia.
Read more »