The Friends of Charles Darwin

Blob-like fossils dating back about 600 million years may indicate that complex life evolved much earlier on our planet than had been thought, scientists say. The animals are less than a fifth of a millimetre long and have a two-sided body plan previously thought to have existed much later in Earth's history. These "bilaterians" have what look like mouths and guts, as well as internal and external layers of body tissue.