ANCIENT HISTORY

518-Million-Year-Old Rare Fossils Found on Chinese River Bank

More than 20,000 specimens of previously unknown species were found were “exquisitely preserved.”

Paleontologists digging near the Danshui River in China’s Hubei province have discovered what they call a “mind-blowing” find. More than 20,000 ancient fossils, many of previously undiscovered species, have been unearthed in the river bank, according to the BBC. The haul includes worms, jellyfish, sea anemones, and algae which will become a “very important source in the study of the early origins of creatures,” Professor Xingliang Zhang from China’s Northwest University, told the BBC. Prof Robert Gaines, a geologist who also took part in the study, said in an email to the BBC. Another geologist on the project, Robert Gaines, said the discovery is remarkable because “the majority of creatures are soft-bodied organisms like jellyfish and worms that normally stand no chance of becoming fossilised.”