A geologist in Canada may have discovered fossils of ancient sponges dating back 890 million years, 350 million years older than the oldest undisputed sponge fossils. The fossilized structures found in rock samples potentially show sponges that existed in underwater reefs millions of years ago. The findings may represent the oldest animal fossils discovered, Laurentian University professor Elizabeth Turner said in an article published Wednesday in the journal Nature.Scientists have estimated that sponges existed before more complicated creatures more than 540 million years ago; however, there’s a lack of fossilized sponges discovered by scientists that would prove the timeline for the …
