What began as a simple childhood fascination has driven Zhu Maoyan into becoming a globally recognized expert in the field of early life evolution and Earth system history.
On top of honors such as being elected as an honorary fellow of the Geological Society of London, Zhu added the title of academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to his repertoire in November.
His pioneering research in paleontology has redefined the understanding of multicellular life before the Cambrian explosion, earning him a spot on Science's 2024 Top 10 Scientific Breakthroughs.Zhu Maoyan (second from right) and his students and colleagues conduct a fieldwork in Qinghai province in 2016. CHINA DAILYWhat began as a simple childhood fascination has driven Zhu Maoyan into becoming a globally recognized expert in the field of early life evolution and Earth system history.On top of honors such as being elected as an honorary fellow of the Geological Society of London, Zhu added the title of academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to his repertoire in November.His pioneering research in paleontology has redefined the understanding of multicellular life before the Cambrian explosion, earning him a spot on Science's 2024 Top 10 Scientific Breakthroughs.Each year, Science, a leading academic journal, selects the top 10 scientific breakthroughs, honoring the exceptional work of researchers worldwide.To be elected as a CAS academician is the highest academic title in China for science and research workers.Zhu's early motivations were rooted in a simple yet profound desire. Growing up in Wangjiang county, Anhui province, a place noted for its flat terrain north of the Yangtze River, he had never climbed a mountain."A high school classmate once told me that geologists get to climb mountains every day. That idea captivated me," Zhu said. This offhand remark sowed the seeds for Zhu's future, leading him to pursue geology as a means to explore the mountainous terrain he had long dreamed of.In the 1980s, Zhu chose to study at the then Changchun College of Geology in Jilin province.At university, he chose paleontology over other specializations because it was related to biology, a subject he found intriguing."I was drawn to study life forms that existed a long time ago," Zhu said. His curiosity quickly evolved into a deep passion, propelling him to study at the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology at the CAS for his doctorate."That was the starting point of my professional research career," he said."Just as every child asks their parents, 'Where did I come from?', humans have an inherent desire to understand nature and life. Our research channels this universal childhood curiosity into rigorous scientific exploration," the 61-year-old said.Zhu's doctoral research focused on the Chengjiang fossils, one of the world's most significant fossil assemblages, providing an unparalleled window into 518-million-year-old fauna in Yunnan province. These fossils are acknowledged internationally as an important world heritage for understanding the evolution of early life.His first field expedition to Yunnan was both challenging and impressive."I spent an entire day traveling to reach a remote site for accommodation, only to find myself in an old wooden house. I was so nervous that night that I placed a wash basin on the door latch as a makeshift alarm."The following morning, Zhu headed up the mountain with his tools to search for fossils, but he was caught in a heavy rainstorm that made the path slippery. The fossil site was located on a steep slope, he said. "My legs were shaking as I climbed, using both my hands and feet to hold onto the surrounding plants, afraid of slipping."Zhu said that as he was young and lacking field experience, he relied purely on determination to make it to the site.From 1997 to 1999, Zhu was a senior visiting scholar, conducting guest research at the Technical University of Berlin, Germany.In 1999, with the support of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' talent program, he returned to China and established his own research team at the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology."Over the decades, my team has achieved some results in unraveling the mysteries of the Cambrian explosion and exploring the early evolution of complex life," he said.Over 500 million years ago, during the Cambrian period, all major animal phyla appeared rapidly in what is known as the Cambrian explosion, which established a completely new Earth-life system. This phenomenon has long been a major puzzle for scientists since Darwin, he added."My research in stratigraphy provides the foundational timeline for calibrating the evolution of Earth and life, requiring extensive fieldwork. A significant amount of time and effort has been dedicated to this work," he said.At the institute, Zhu guided his doctoral student, Miao Lanyun, to continue their in-depth research, which led to the discovery of over 200 multicellular eukaryote fossil specimens in the 1.63-billion-year-old strata of the Yanshan Mountain region in North China.This finding pushed back the appearance of multicellular eukaryotes by 70 million years and was included in Science's 2024 Top 10 Scientific Breakthroughs.Most complex life forms on Earth today, like animals, plants and fungi, are multicellular eukaryotes. The development of multicellularity in eukaryotes was essential for life to evolve into more complex and larger forms. It was once thought that eukaryotes existed as single cells for about a billion years. However, this new discovery shows that simple multicellular eukaryotes appeared much earlier than previously believed."When you believe something is worth doing and have the interest to support it, you won't feel it is arduous or bothersome, nor will you become impatient," Zhu said with regard to his research experience."I encourage young people to trust their inner voices and not be overly swayed by family or societal pressures. Don't stress about whether your chosen field will be lucrative or respected. Let go of these worries. Make your own judgments, don't give up easily, and you'll always find hope," he said.Zhu and his team are currently focused on three main research areas: extending the study of complex life to earlier time, exploring the origins of life and extraterrestrial life, and delving deeper into the Cambrian explosion."As a pure basic research endeavor, I am often asked about the practical utility of my work. I believe the core value of basic research lies in satisfying humanity's intrinsic curiosity about nature and life. My research is driven by fundamental questions: Who are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going?"In China, paleontological research has developed rapidly due to increasing investment. In recent years, numerous natural and science museums have opened, Zhu said."This environment encourages both senior and young paleontologists in China to pursue this field. In the future, we should promote the love of nature and life. By doing this, we can inspire more young people to follow their passions and pursue careers in scientific research," he said.While nurturing domestic talent is the foundation, the spirit of science knows no borders."We not only study Chinese paleontological data but also conduct research worldwide," said Zhu."Globally, each continent has unique fossil resources. I hope our research involves more international collaboration to fully utilize these global resources. Our perspective is global, and our research is open to international cooperation. We welcome overseas colleagues to study China's resources," he added. (China Daily)
BEIJING, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- A group of fossilized tunnels dug by animals about 550 million years ago, discovered in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River in China, have offered new insights into how the earliest animal activities began to shape the seafloor environment.This undated photo provided by the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences shows a trace fossil discovered in central China's Hubei Province. (Xinhua)BEIJING, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- A group of fossilized tunnels dug by animals about 550 million years ago, discovered in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River in China, have offered new insights into how the earliest animal activities began to shape the seafloor environment.Previous research has shown that during a pivotal evolutionary period around 539 million years ago, known as the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition, animals began to shift from simply moving across the seabed to actively exploring deeper layers of sediment. The transition from 2D movement to 3D burrowing turned the ocean bottom from a single, uniform environment into a complex, animal-engineered habitat, fundamentally changing marine ecosystems.Now, a discovery from central China's Hubei Province indicates that this revolutionary change had started much earlier.Researchers from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences conducted a study on the Shibantan Biota, a treasure trove of ancient fossils in Hubei. This fossil biota dates back approximately 550 to 543 million years. They identified several types of burrows made by worm-like animals, indicating that complex animal behaviors were already shaping the seafloor environment nearly 10 million years earlier than previously thought.These findings were on Thursday published in the journal Science Advances. Researchers involved in the study noted their discovery of Treptichnus streptosus, a new type of fossilized, zig-zag burrow made by an ancient worm."Its structure suggests that trace-making creatures were capable of rhythmic and repeatable movement and exploring, which reflects a well-developed nervous system and muscular control," lead researcher Chen Zhe told Xinhua.Chen also mentioned other known traces found at the site, such as tadpole-shaped burrows and complex, compound tunnels created by ancient animals as they walked, searched for food and temporarily dwelled.These adaptations indicate that animal behaviors were already diverse and complex at that time -- earlier than the rapid burst of life known as the Cambrian explosion, Chen explained, while adding that the new study extends the timeline of animal evolutionary sophistication further back than before.This image provided by the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences shows a restoration picture of trace fossils discovered in central China's Hubei Province.(Xinhua)Complex digging behaviors inferred from trace fossils, notably, also caused a lot of disturbance in the sediment.They not only broke up the microbial mats covering the seafloor but also damaged the habitat of Ediacara organisms that lived there, which may have led to their decline, said co-author Liu Yarong, a PhD student at the institute.This means that early animal burrowing may have contributed to the first known mass extinction event -- the decline of the Ediacara biota around 550 million years ago.However, this disturbance also created new opportunities for other types of animals to evolve and diversify. Along with additional biological and environmental factors, early animal burrowing helped drive the major ecosystem transformation that took place at the dawn of the Cambrian period, according to the researchers.In 2018, paleontologists from China and the United States reported the discovery of trace fossils that represented some of the earliest known evidence for animal appendages or legs in the Shibantan Biota in the Yangtze Gorges area.The new study confirms that this biota, with its rich variety of trace and body fossils -- offers a unique window into one of the most important turning points in the history of life, namely the transition from simple life forms to complex ecosystems."Animals are not only shaped by their environment, but they also play a vital role in shaping it," Liu said. Enditem
A research team from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS) has made progress in studying the Shibantan Biota in Yichang, Hubei Province, uncovering the oldest known complex three-dimensional burrow systems to date. Preserved in approximately 550-million-year-old strata, these trace fossils show that complex animal behaviors were modifying the seafloor environment nearly 10 million years earlier than previously thought.Schematic illustration of trace fossils in the Shibantan assemblage. (Image by NIGPAS)A research team from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS) has made progress in studying the Shibantan Biota in Yichang, Hubei Province, uncovering the oldest known complex three-dimensional burrow systems to date. Preserved in approximately 550-million-year-old strata, these trace fossils show that complex animal behaviors were modifying the seafloor environment nearly 10 million years earlier than previously thought.The Ediacaran–Cambrian transition, around 539 million years ago, marks one of the most significant ecosystem revolutions in Earth's history. A key driver of this ecological shift was the transition of metazoan behavior from simple two-dimensional surface activities to three-dimensional exploration deep into sediments. This "substrate revolution" transformed the seafloor from a uniform, matground-dominated system into a heterogeneously, bioturbated modern-style seabed, permanently altering the trajectory of Earth's environmental and biological evolution.The researchers conducted a systematic study of trace fossils from the Shibantan Biota (approximately 550–543 million years old). They identified multiple ichnospecies within the genus Treptichnus and established a new ichnospecies, Treptichnus streptosus. By combining these findings with previously discovered three-dimensional trace fossils such as Lamonte and tadpole-shaped traces from the same biota, the study offers an in-depth analysis of the evolutionary and ecological significance of the emergence of animals' vertical exploration behavior.The findings, published in Science Advances on Oct. 29, reveal that complex animal behaviors emerged on the eve of the Cambrian explosion.Treptichnus is a landmark trace fossil, representing the first "3D exploration" of sediments by animals, and holds importance in evolutionary biology, animal behavior, and ecology. The first appearance of T. pedum, a member of this genus, formally defines the Ediacaran–Cambrian boundary. The new discovery from the Shibantan Biota predates this revolutionary behavior. In addition to reporting the new species T. streptosus, the study identifies other ichnospecies including T. cf. bifurcus, T. rectangularis, and T. pollardi, demonstrating that animal burrowing behaviors had already achieved considerable diversity by this period.Furthermore, the Shibantan Biota preserves other three-dimensional burrows, such as Lamonte and tadpole-shaped traces. The concentrated occurrence of these vertical exploration behaviors reflects early sedimentary ecological stratification and complex foraging strategies, indicating a gradually enhanced ability of trace-making organisms to engineer substrates.The study found that Lamonte caused intensive bioturbation within the Shibantan Biota. This not only disrupted microbial mats on the sediment surface but also dismantled the ecological environment of Ediacara-type organisms that depended on these mats. This suggests bioturbation may have been a contributing factor to the first extinction event of the Ediacara biota around 550 million years ago.The emergence of these complex behaviors and their cumulative ecological effects intensified toward the end of the Ediacaran Period. This led to the gradual decline of microbial mats, continuously eroding the ecological foundation of Ediacara-type organisms while creating new ecological opportunities for the diversification of other metazoans. Driven by the synergy of various biological and non-biological factors, this process ultimately contributed to the profound ecosystem transformation during the Ediacaran–Cambrian transition.This research further confirms that the rich and diverse assemblage of trace fossils and body fossils preserved in the Shibantan Biota provides a window for studying major ecosystem changes at the transition between the Precambrian and Phanerozoic Eons.This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
Chinese scientists' latest findings in ancient seabed community illustrate a biological mechanism capable of shaping community structure, operating beyond passive environmental constraints or initial larval settlement preferences, and highlight the potential for subtle anatomical features to exert significant ecological influence in deep time, according to a research article published on Monday by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS), a leading scientific journal in the world.Nucleospira calypta Photos: CCTV NewsChinese scientists' latest findings in ancient seabed community illustrate a biological mechanism capable of shaping community structure, operating beyond passive environmental constraints or initial larval settlement preferences, and highlight the potential for subtle anatomical features to exert significant ecological influence in deep time, according to a research article published on Monday by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS), a leading scientific journal in the world.Huang Bing and Rong Jiayu, research fellows from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, cracked the mystery of social distancing by reporting exceptionally preserved soft, bristle-like structures ("setae") on 436-million-year-old brachiopods, enabling the analysis of ancient behavior.The research team worked on the 436-million-year-old early Silurian brachiopod fossil community discovered in Tongzi and Renhuai, Southwest China's Guizhou Province. For the first time, Huang and Rong identified a regular, checkerboard-like spacing pattern among these organisms, closely corresponding to their setae length. This demonstrates that these delicate structures played an important role in maintaining spacing between individuals, thereby influencing community organization on the ancient seabed.Their findings point to a previously unrecognized mechanism shaping ecosystem structure in deep time, demonstrating how subtle anatomical features could have exerted notable ecological impacts in their ancient environments.Nucleospira calyptaThe study focused on Nucleospira calypta. The fossil specimens buried in situ in this study completely preserved their true state at the last moment of their lives, opening a precious window for scientists to observe ancient biological communities.Setae are slender, flexible, hair-like structures growing on the edge of their mantles. They are extremely difficult to preserve in fossils, especially in the long geological history after the Cambrian period, approximately 541 million years ago. The specimens studied this time also rarely preserve the setae structure on the edge of the mantle of brachiopods.Through a variety of modern analytical techniques, the researchers not only clearly reconstructed the fine morphology of these setae with a diameter of about 20 microns but also confirmed one of the unique preservation mechanisms: the setae first rapidly pyritized in an oxygen-deficient environment and then were coated with a calcium shell in weakly acidic conditions to prevent compaction and oxidation. Therefore, even if the pyrite later converted into iron oxide, its microscopic morphology was still preserved perfectly.After the confirmation of the fine structures, the researchers focused on the layout of the entire community. Through analysis, they found that the distribution of these brachiopods was not random and chaotic, but presented a statistically significant, non-random, uniform distribution pattern that looks like a chessboard. This "chessboard-like" layout indicates that there is a mechanism between individuals.How was this precise spacing adjustment achieved?Through analysis, the researchers found that there is a clear quantitative relationship between the average distance between individuals in the fossil community and the length of their well-preserved setae. This kind of fine-tuning of position in seemingly immobile organisms is not without precedent. For example, modern Cirripedia can still migrate extremely slowly after being fixed to optimize their living space.When individuals are too close to each other, their extended setae will reach their neighbors. This continuous physical contact, after a long period of accumulation, eventually leads the entire population to a stable configuration where no interference is caused and space utilization is optimized. "This is crucial for filter-feeding organisms to minimize interference with each other's feeding water flow," said Huang in an interview with the Nanjing Daily.For the first time, the study directly links a subtle anatomical structure (setae) with a statistically significant spatial pattern of community, providing direct fossil evidence for the core question of paleoecology: "How do interactions between organisms shape distribution structure?" This shows that the formation of ancient communities was not only subject to passive environmental factors or the random fixation of larvae, but also that interactions between individual organisms caused by their morphological structures played a crucial role. This discovery not only deepens the understanding of the complexity of Paleozoic marine ecosystems, but also highlights the important ecological impacts that seemingly insignificant features may have in the process of evolution.
BEIJING, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese archaeologists have discovered a batch of fossils of multicellular eukaryotes that date back to 1.63 billion years ago, setting the world's oldest record of such fossils. BEIJING, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese archaeologists have discovered a batch of fossils of multicellular eukaryotes that date back to 1.63 billion years ago, setting the world's oldest record of such fossils. These well-preserved microfossils, Qingshania magnifica, were found in the Yanshan Mountains of north China, according to the findings published in the journal Science Advances this week. The discovery was made by researchers from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It marks another advancement after they found decimeter-sized fossils of multicellular eukaryotes in this region in 2016, and pushes back the emergence of such organisms by about 70 million years. The newly found fossils consist of large uniseriate and unbranched filaments with cell diameters up to 190 micrometers. A particular feature, the round intracellular structure in some cells, indicates that they might reproduce by spores, like many eukaryotic algae. Researchers further inferred that the fossils were most likely photosynthetic algae. The earliest eukaryotic fossils so far are unicellular forms dating back to 1.65 billion years ago found in north China and north Australia. Qingshania magnifica appeared slightly later, indicating that eukaryotes evolved to multicellularity very early in their history, said the paper. This undated photo provided by the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences shows microfossils of Qingshania magnifica found in the Yanshan Mountains of north China. Chinese archaeologists have discovered a batch of fossils of multicellular eukaryotes that date back to 1.63 billion years ago, setting the world's oldest record of such fossils. (Xinhua)
In a study published in Science Advances on Jan. 24, researchers led by Prof. ZHU Maoyan from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences reported their recent discovery of 1.63-billion-year-old multicellular fossils from North China. In a study published in Science Advances on Jan. 24, researchers led by Prof. ZHU Maoyan from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences reported their recent discovery of 1.63-billion-year-old multicellular fossils from North China. These exquisitely preserved microfossils are currently considered the oldest record of multicellular eukaryotes. This study is another breakthrough after the researchers’ earlier discovery of decimeter-sized eukaryotic fossils in the Yanshan area of North China, and pushes back the emergence of multicellularity in eukaryotes by about 70 million years. All complex life on Earth, including diverse animals, land plants, macroscopic fungi, and seaweeds, are multicellular eukaryotes. Multicellularity is key to eukaryotes acquiring organismal complexity and large size, and is often regarded as a major transition in the history of life on Earth. However, scientists have been unsure when eukaryotes evolved this innovation. Fossil records offering convincing evidence show that eukaryotes with simple multicellularity, such as red and green algae, and putative fungi, appeared as early as 1.05 billion years ago. Older records have claimed to be multicellular eukaryotes, but most of them are controversial because of their simple morphology and lack of cellular structure. "The newly discovered multicellular fossils come from the late Paleoproterozoic Chuanlinggou Formation that is about 1,635 million years old. They are unbranched, uniseriate filaments composed of two to more than 20 large cylindrical or barrel-shaped cells with diameters of 20–194 μm and incomplete lengths up to 860 μm. These filaments show a certain degree of complexity based on their morphological variation," said MIAO Lanyun, one of the researchers. The filaments are constant, or tapered throughout their length, or tapered only at one end. Morphometric analyses demonstrate their morphological continuity, suggesting they represent a single biological species rather than discrete species. The fossils have been named Qingshania magnifica, 1989, a form taxon with similar morphology and size, and are described as being from the Chuanlinggou Formation. A particularly important feature of Qingshania is the round intracellular structure (diameter 15–20 μm) in some cells. These structures are comparable to the asexual spores known in many eukaryotic algae, indicating that Qingshania probably reproduced by spores. In modern life, uniseriate filaments are common in both prokaryotes (bacteria and archaea) and eukaryotes. The combination of large cell size, wide range of filament diameter, morphological variation, and intracellular spores demonstrate the eukaryotic affinity of Qingshania, as no known prokaryotes are so complex. Filamentous prokaryotes are generally very small, about 1–3 μm in diameter, and are distributed across more than 147 genera of 12 phyla. Some cyanobacteria and sulfur bacteria can reach large sizes, up to 200 μm thick, but these large prokaryotes are very simple in morphology, with disc-shaped cells, and are not reproduced by spores. The best modern analogues are some green algae, although filaments also occur in other groups of eukaryotic algae (e.g., red algae, brown algae, yellow algae, charophytes, etc.), as well as in fungi and oomycetes. "This indicates that Qingshania was most likely photosynthetic algae, probably belonging to the extinct stem group of Archaeplastids (a major group consisting of red algae, green algae and land plants, as well as glaucophytes), although its exact affinity is still unclear," said MIAO. In addition, the researchers conducted Raman spectroscopic investigation to test the eukaryotic affinity of Qingshania from the perspective of chemical composition, using three cyanobacterial taxa for comparison. Raman spectra revealed two broad peaks characteristic of disordered carbonaceous matter. Furthermore, the estimated burial temperatures using Raman parameters ranged from 205–250 °C, indicating a low degree of metamorphism. Principal component analysis of the Raman spectra sorted Qingshania and the cyanobacterial taxa into two distinct clusters, indicating that carbonaceous matter of Qingshania is different from that of cyanobacterial fossils, further supporting the eukaryotic affinity of Qingshania. Currently, the oldest unambiguous eukaryotic fossils are unicellular forms from late Paleoproterozoic sediments (~1.65 billion years ago) in Northern China and Northern Australia. Qingshania appeared only slightly later than these unicellular forms, indicating that eukaryotes acquired simple multicellularity very early in their evolutionary history. Since eukaryotic algae (Archaeplastids) arose after the last eukaryotic common ancestor (LECA), the discovery of Qingshania, if truly algal in nature, further supports the early appearance of LECA in the late Paleoproterozoic—which is consistent with many molecular clock studies—rather than in the late Mesoproterozoic of about 1 billion years ago. This study was funded by the National Key Research and Development Program of China, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the Innovation Cross-Team of CAS. Multicellular fossils come from the late Paleoproterozoic Chuanlinggou Formation
A new study has shown that cicadas about 100 million years ago had yet to learn to produce the iconic buzzing sound that now characterizes summer days. A new study has shown that cicadas about 100 million years ago had yet to learn to produce the iconic buzzing sound that now characterizes summer days. Cicada, referring to the superfamily Cicadoidea, includes the globally widespread Cicadidae, commonly known as singing cicadas, and Australia-only Tettigarctidae. The former can produce the loudest sounds among insects, reaching nearly 120 decibels via tymbal mechanisms. In the study published in Nature Communications, a team of international scientists looked at 11 pieces of Cicadoidea fossils from Myanmar with a 100-million-year history and compared them with other fossils and extant cicadas. Although tymbal was identified in these fossils, the majority lacked intricate sound production and auditory systems, said Jiang Hui, lead author of the paper and a researcher with the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. "This suggests that most cicadas from 100 million years ago might have relied on more primitive means of communication -- to transmit body vibrations through substrates like tree trunks -- rather than amplifying sounds through abdominal vibrations and transmitting them through the air," said Jiang. "In other words, they might not have sung like today's cicadas," Jiang said. This study also reports powerful fossorial forelegs from nymphal fossils, akin to modern cicadas, suggesting similar robust capabilities for digging, subterranean long-term living, and root-feeding. (Xinhua)
An international team of scientists said a fossil dating back to about 130 million years ago suggests male mosquitoes likely sucked blood in ancient times. An international team of scientists said a fossil dating back to about 130 million years ago suggests male mosquitoes likely sucked blood in ancient times. Among modern-day mosquitoes, only females are hematophagous, meaning that they use piercing mouth parts to feed on the blood of humans and other animals. Scientists believe that insect hematophagy evolved from piercing-sucking mouthparts used to extract plant fluids but have difficulty studying this evolution due to the lack of insect fossil records. The scientists from China, Lebanon, France and the United States found in a Lower Cretaceous amber from Lebanon that the piercing mouthparts of two well-preserved male mosquitoes included an exceptionally sharp, triangular mandible and elongated structure with small, toothlike denticles, which suggested that they were then fed on blood. The new findings, published online in the journal Current Biology, may provide new evidence for the study of the evolution of mosquitoes, according to the scientists. "Lebanese amber is to date the oldest amber with intensive biological inclusions, and it is a very important material as its formation is contemporaneous with the appearance and beginning of radiation of flowering plants, with all that follows of co-evolution between pollinators and flowering plants," said Dany Azar, from Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Lebanese University, who led the research. The new findings extended the definitive occurrence of the mosquito family of insects into the early Cretaceous, and with blood-sucking male mosquitoes, suggested that the evolution of hematophagy was more complicated than suspected. According to André Nel of the National Museum of Natural History of Paris, the scientists are going to study the "utility" of having hematophagy in ancient male mosquitoes and why they later stopped sucking blood. (Xinhua)
Researchers found these ancient bloodsuckers entombed in amber, which had been collected 15 years ago in central Lebanon. They represent the oldest known mosquito fossils yet found. If you smack at a mosquito on your arm or neck, chances are it’s a female. Only female mosquitoes suck blood, which they need for protein to produce their eggs. Males, which lack females’ skin-piercing mouthparts, feed on nectar and plant juices. But that might not have always been the case: Researchers reported Monday in Current Biology that some 125 million years ago, during the early Cretaceous, at least some male mosquitoes sported sharp mandibles and a long appendage with toothlike bristles, similar to modern females’ piercing parts. Researchers found these ancient bloodsuckers entombed in amber, which had been collected 15 years ago in central Lebanon. They represent the oldest known mosquito fossils yet found. The findings offer good evidence that the earliest known mosquitoes—male and female alike—supped blood from hosts, The New York Times reported on Monday. Rather than evolving to suck blood later in evolution, the researchers say, mosquitoes may have started off as bloodsuckers. If so, males may have only lost the ability as flowering plants proliferated during the Cretaceous period, offering them a food source without the risk of getting swatted. https://www.science.org/content/article/oldest-known-mosquito-fossils-show-males-too-once-sucked-blood
