科技报道187 科学家发现世界上已知最古老的动物

科技报道科学家发现世界上已知最古老的动物187Scientists FindWorlds Oldest-known Animalplaystopmutemaxvolume00:00-02:41repeatBy John Russell2020/6/3A millipede-like creature that wasrecently discoveredin Scotlandmay bethe oldest-known landanimal.This small,fossilized creature,some425million yearsold,helped leadthe wayfor themany animals that wouldeventuallylive on land.Researchers saidthey foundthe creatures remainson theisland ofKerrerain Scotlands InnerHebrides.It livedclose toa lakeand probablyatedead plants.Fossils of theoldest-known plantwith astem werefoundin thesame area.While thecreature,called Kampecarisobanesis,is theearliest landanimalknown from a fossil,soil wormsare believedto havelived beforethemperhaps450million years ago.A fossilof a425million-year-old millipedecalled Kampecarisobanensis andunearthedin Scotlandis shownin thisundated handoutphoto releasedtoReuters onMay27,

2020.British GeologicalSurvey/Handout viaREUTERSThat informationcomes fromMichael Brookfieldof theUniversity ofTexasat Austinand theUniversity ofMassachusetts Boston.Brookfield was thelead writerof theresearch reportthat describedthe findingsin thejournalHistorical Biology.Kampecaris was about

2.5centimeters long.It lookedlike modernmillipedes,but itwas amember ofa groupthat diedout.It wasnot adirectancestor ofthe millipedesthat livenow.Life firstbegan inthe worlds oceans,with agrowth indiversity some540million yearsago.Some kindsof plantsbegan appearingonlandaround450million yearsago.The landvertebrates-animalsthathave abackboneor spine-showed upsome375million yearsago.These animalswere theancestors ofthe reptiles,birds andmammals thatarealive today-including humans.Human beingsfirst appearedabout300,000yearsago.I mJohn Russell.Will Dunhamreported onthis storyfor Reuters.JohnRusselladapted itforLearning English.Hai Dowastheeditor.We wantto hearfrom you.Write tous inthe CommentsSection.Words inThis Storymillipede-n.a smallcreaturethat is likean insectand that has a long,thinbody withmany legsfossilized-adj.having beenchanged intoa fossil.A fossilis somethingsuchasaleaf,skeleton,or footprintthatisfromaplant oranimal whichlivedin ancienttimes andthat youcan seein somerocksworm n.along,thin animalthathasa softbody withno legsorbones andthat oftenlives inthe grounddiversity-n.the qualityorstate ofhaving manydifferent forms,types,ideas,etc.spine-n.the rowof connectedbones downthe middleoftheback。