cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/42158359
Scientists have confirmed that a 26ft tall, tree-trunk-shaped organism, first discovered in Scotland in 1843, isn't a fungus or plant, but an entirely distinct evolutionary branch of life
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/01/21/new-form-of-life-discovered-and-its-26ft-tall/
28 Comments
eleijeep@piefed.social · 100 pts · 222d
This is an article in the shitrag Torygraph and it doesn't even include a link to the original paper!
There's a preprint of the paper here: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.03.14.643340v1.full.pdf
Atelopus-zeteki@fedia.io · 8 pts · 221d
My Hero! Thanks for posting!
Hmm, preprint, submitted 2025 March 17, appears to be taking a while to get past the review process to full publication. It's fascinating how much we've learned to tell about biological processes by looking at the fossilization end products.
solrize@lemmy.ml · 84 pts · 222d
These have been studied for quite a while.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prototaxites
ripcord@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 221d
Thank you for making the one comment with any science value, on a science post. I learned about something new.
frongt@lemmy.zip · 52 pts · 222d
*fossil of an organism
fistac0rpse@fedia.io · 38 pts · 222d
"new lifeform that became extinct around 370 million years ago"
ripcord@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 222d
Weirdest comments for a science community...
MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip · 34 pts · 221d
Fuck clickbaity headlines. And a fossil isn't a organism anymore.
Also, it's this one.
SculptusPoe@lemmy.world · 29 pts · 222d
Well, trash. I already knew about these, but as fossils. This headline made me think they found a branch of them just growing in Scotland. But no, it is just the thing we already knew about. Not sure how they got any information that confirms they weren't plants or fungi from fossils, but I guess that is the only newsworthy thing here. (Tubes, mostly looking at the branching of tubes and how they differ from any fruiting fungus is what I gather after reading the actual paper. I do think it is interesting that they also focused on how they are different from crustaceans. It would have been pretty interesting if those were crab trees.)
picandocodigo@lemmy.world · 27 pts · 222d
Link without pay wall https://archive.ph/LEcGT
mech@feddit.org · 21 pts · 222d
It looks like a giant...
dave@feddit.uk · 33 pts · 222d
Dick! Dick, take a look out of starboard…
LillyPip@lemmy.ca · 13 pts · 222d
It’s long and hard to scan. We need to get someone in there… Peter
hector@lemmy.today · 9 pts · 222d
It looks like a giant, check this out Johnson!
RelativeArea1@sh.itjust.works · -1 pts · 221d
I was about to say dildo, but that checks out as well
ripcord@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 221d
They were trying to start an Austin Powers thing, but everyone here failed them.
Atelopus-zeteki@fedia.io · 1 pts · 221d
They discovered Ents.
UpperBroccoli@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 12 pts · 222d
Soooo.... let's clone it and see what happens!
frongt@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 221d
Fossils don't typically contain DNA
Gsus4@mander.xyz · 2 pts · 222d
Easy there, Hammond!
rollin@piefed.social · 7 pts · 221d
I saw a really good rundown of this the other day on YouTube: "Presented by Joe Botting, independent palaeontologist and Honorary Research Fellow at the National Museum Wales":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqT8Q8plKJ8
flandish@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 222d
i hear gene belcher, “land boner!”
Eldritch@piefed.world · 0 pts · 222d
Some real Flesh Gordon vibes
SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml · 3 pts · 222d
I think they'll find it was my penis. And yes, it is alive
Abdoanmes@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 222d
I came here to ensure this comment was added. You did your part!
SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml · 0 pts · 222d
I couldn't let such a good opportunity go unexploited
M137@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 221d
Here's a good video about this that I watched the other day:
https://youtu.be/LqT8Q8plKJ8
LodeMike@lemmy.today · 2 pts · 222d
A what now?
Edit: oh, extinct: (
Maybe its a protists like thing similar to coral? Idk