- RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT
Geochemical clues hint that worm-like creatures in the Ediacaran period benefited from symbiosis with bacteria.
Conotubus spp. was an enigmatic, tube-shaped creature that lived during the Ediacaran period, more than 500 million years ago. Credit: Jihao Li (Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China) and James Schiffbauer (University of Missouri, Columbia, MO)
Many animals live in close contact with microorganisms – think of the teeming bacteria in the human gut. Direct evidence of such inter-species partnerships, known as symbioses, in the early fossil record is lacking. Now Zhenfei Wang at Nanjing University in China and colleagues report the earliest known example of this behaviour.
Access options
Access through your institution
Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals
Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription
27,99 € / 30 days
cancel any time
Subscription info for Chinese customers
We have a dedicated website for our Chinese customers. Please go to naturechina.com to subscribe to this journal.
Rent or buy this article
Prices vary by article type
from$1.95
to$39.95
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-02629-8
References
Subjects
Latest on:
- Biogeochemistry
-
Critical zone processes limit alkalinity export from natural basaltic systems
Article
-
Climate benefit and ecological cost trade-offs for ocean iron fertilization
Article
-
Rock weathering can counteract river CO2 emissions induced by permafrost thaw
Article