Earlier Life

November 9, 2015 12:32 PM

Seven fossilized brains from the Cambrian. A complex animal skeleton from the pre-Cambrian. Oxygen made by photosynthesis a billion years before the Great Oxygenation Event. Carbon made by life from 4.1 billion years ago. (Okay, maybe not so fast on that last one.)
posted by clawsoon (4 comments total)

And in the news today, one of the fossilized brains has announced that it will be running as a candidate for the Republican presidential primary. It is already polling higher than Huckabee and Santorum. ....
posted by LeRoienJaune at 1:40 PM on November 9, 2015 [1 favorite]

"Namacalathus has a stalked cup with radially symmetrical cross section, multiple lateral lumens and a central opening."

"Friend!" [/Zoidberg]
posted by sneebler at 6:26 PM on November 9, 2015 [1 favorite]

Maybe it was contamination from their zircon encrusted tweezers.

But seriously, what if it were from some other celestial body, say dropped off during the impact that made the moon? That one zircon is certainly a needle pulled out of a haystack.
posted by Oyéah at 7:45 PM on November 9, 2015

Zircons, shmirkons. The article about fossilization of arthropod brains was cool. I even have a sticker on my laptop that says "MAY CONTAIN CRUSTACEANS."
posted by sneebler at 6:52 AM on November 10, 2015 [1 favorite]