Animals may have evolved 200 million years earlier than previously thought, new study suggests
A new study published in Science Advances suggests that animal life may have originated between 800 and 700 million years ago, significantly earlier than the fossil record suggests. Researchers used molecular clock analysis to argue that the absence of fossils in certain rock layers does not preclude the existence of early animals.
Why it matters
This finding shifts the timeline of early animal evolution, suggesting that life existed during the Neoproterozoic era, potentially surviving extreme ice ages.
After using a technique called molecular clock analysis, researchers have proposed that the origin of animals could be 200 million years earlier than thought.
By Kenna Hughes-Castleberry Edited by Laura Geggel , Laura Mondrag n Published 2 October 2026 In News When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's how it works .
An artist's reconstruction of the seafloor in Namibia, West Africa, 543 million years ago. (Image credit: Museum of Natural History, University of Oxford / Mighty Fossils.) Copy link Facebook X Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter The first animals may have appeared on Earth hundreds of millions years earlier than their fossils suggest, a new modeling study suggests.
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