title: Palaeontology: undressing and redressing Ediacaran embryos.
abstract: Bailey et al. propose that the Ediacaran microfossils Megasphaera and Parapandorina, previously interpreted as animal resting eggs and blastula embryos, represent Thiomargarita-like sulphide-oxidizing bacteria, claiming that this interpretation better explains their abundance and taphonomy. Here we highlight important observations that significantly weaken the authors' conclusions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geosciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060, USA.
authors.forename: Shuhai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Chuanming
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Xunlai
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yuan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D036703:Blastula / Q000166:cytology; D002455:Cell Division; D005580:Fossils; D020563:Gammaproteobacteria / Q000166:cytology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D010063:Ovum / Q000166:cytology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results