Scientists Intrigued by Unfamiliar Life Form

"It's a plant! It's a fungus! It's... an entirely new type of lifeform hitherto unknown to science? That appears to be the case for a puzzling, spire-shaped organism that lived over 400 million years ago, according to a new study published in the journal Science Advances. After analyzing its internal structures, the authors argue that the mystifying ancient beings known as prototaxites don't belong to any of the existing biological kingdoms."

"The name Prototaxites means "early yew" or "first yew," a misnomer that captures the debate that has surrounded its nature for over a century. With its resemblance to a tree trunk, scientists initially suspected it was some kind of extinct tree when its fossils were first unearthed in 1855. This assumption would probably offend the prototaxites were they still alive to hear it."

Prototaxites were spire-shaped organisms that lived over 400 million years ago and reached heights around 26 feet, appearing before the first trees. Analysis of their internal structures indicates they do not fit within existing biological kingdoms. The genus name means 'early yew' or 'first yew,' reflecting initial misidentification as tree trunks when fossils appeared in 1855. Scientific classifications later ranged from algae to giant fungi, partly because of carbon isotope signatures resembling fungi. The anatomical features of the tubelike fossils are highly varied and resist placement into plant, algal, or fungal categories, suggesting a potentially distinct form of life.

Read at Futurism