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Ancient Fossils Reveal Right-Handed Motion in Spriggina

7/11/2026

Summary

Evans Discovers Asymmetry

Scott Evans, lead author and assistant curator at the American Museum of Natural History, reported that Spriggina floundersi showed population-wide right-handedness.
Over 100 fossils displayed twice as many left-bending impressions, a statistically significant (p = 0.0017) rightward bias.
Variable bend directions in the same layer rule out currents, implying active movement and a nervous system for coordinated asymmetric motion.
The paper was published in Scientific Reports on Thursday, 10 July 2026.

Summary

Researchers Study Fossils

The study, funded by NASA’s Exobiology program (grant #80NSSC19K0472), involved researchers from the American Museum of Natural History, Florida State University, Harvard, UC Riverside, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
Spriggina floundersi is South Australia’s state fossil and named for Reg Sprigg, who identified the Ediacara biota 75 years ago.
The fossils were collected from storm-buried beds at Nilpena Ediacara National Park, a site renowned for preserving exceptional Ediacaran assemblages.

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Evans Discovers Asymmetry

Scott Evans, lead author and assistant curator at the American Museum of Natural History, reported that Spriggina floundersi showed population-wide right-handedness.
Over 100 fossils displayed twice as many left-bending impressions, a statistically significant (p = 0.0017) rightward bias.
Variable bend directions in the same layer rule out currents, implying active movement and a nervous system for coordinated asymmetric motion.
The paper was published in Scientific Reports on Thursday, 10 July 2026.

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