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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 (www.telegraph.co.uk)
submitted 6 months ago by to c/archaeology@mander.xyz
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[โ€“] 42 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Wiki has a breakdown of the debate and how it's evolved: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prototaxites

Neat stuff

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  • [โ€“] 13 points 6 months ago (2 children)

    This has absolutely blown my mind!

    This looks exactly like the kind of whose ancestors would, over millions of years, eventually mutate to become a tree.

    The polished fossil in the Wikipedia article looks a shocking amount like wood!

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  • [โ€“] 3 points 6 months ago

    Dude; I think you're absolutely correct.

    It looks like a proto-tree

    Also: Trees aren't a uniform genus, but this goes to show, on any planet that has photosynthesis, trees will eventually evolve spontaneously

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