480-Million-Year-Old Sponge Discovered in China Rewrites Reef History

Scientists discovered a 480-million-year-old phosphatic sponge in South China, making it the oldest known stromatoporoid and extending its fossil record by 20 million years. International scientists have discovered the oldest known phosphatic stromatoporoid sponge in South China, dating back approximately 480 million years to the Early Ordovician period. Stromatoporoid sponges were major reef builders during [...]

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