Fossilized slime found in amber

Fossilized slime found in amber
Fossilized slime found in amber
Anonim

Amber from Myanmar again surprised scientists: about 100 million years ago, the lizard froze in a stream of resin, and studying its paw, researchers found thin threads of mucus on it. Most likely, the substance was torn from the tree bark by a lizard at the time of its death.

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This type of microorganism is called myxomycete (Latin Mycetozoa, from the Greek Μύκητος - "mushroom" and ζωον - "animal", or Myxomycota, from Μύξα - "mucus" and Μύκητος). Scientific interest in them is very high: their study contributes to evolutionary and phylogenetic constructions, and also helps to systematize fungi and protists.

Their bodies are almost entirely composed of liquid, and they themselves live in the form of single cells. For this reason, myxomycetes are extremely rare in the fossil state. However, they are sometimes found in fossil resins.

Mold on a lizard's paw turned out to be the oldest example of myxomycetes. Comparison with modern species has shown that the closest relative is the Stemonitis mold, which appears on rotting wood all over the planet. The cellular structure of organisms with a difference of 100 million years turned out to be very similar - in fact, microorganisms did not evolve at all.

This is easy to explain: when nature creates something that is fully adapted to the environment, no changes are needed. Stemonitis mold perfectly illustrates this example: rotting wood is present on Earth in all climates; the method of reproduction by means of spores is also effective.

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