Palaeontology: undressing and redressing Ediacaran embryos.
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.
Xiao
Shuhai
S
Department of Geosciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060, USA.
Zhou
Chuanming
C
Yuan
Xunlai
X
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