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MIT Study: Sponges May Be Earth's First Animals

10/7/2025

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Summary

Story summary

MIT-led study proposes sponges as the earliest animals on Earth, dating to over 541 million years ago.
Genetic analysis favors sponges over comb jellies as the original animal ancestor.
Sterol evidence from ancient rocks indicates sponge activity and rules out non-biological sources.
Findings rest on multiple evidence lines and were published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

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Story summary

MIT-led study proposes sponges as the earliest animals on Earth, dating to over 541 million years ago.
Genetic analysis favors sponges over comb jellies as the original animal ancestor.
Sterol evidence from ancient rocks indicates sponge activity and rules out non-biological sources.
Findings rest on multiple evidence lines and were published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).