Animal ancestors may have survived ‘snowball Earth’

Chemical fossils push back the date for animal life to at least 635 million years ago

A new analysis of ancient chemical fossils has rocked the cradle of early animal evolution, bumping back compelling evidence of animal life to at least 635 million years ago.

OLDEST BIOMARKER Scientists detected a chemical fingerprint of animal life that appears to begin before the end of a major ice age, the Marinoan.