這是地球上已知最早的動物足跡之一

這是地球上已知最早的動物足跡之一

Scientists have discovered what could be some of the very earliest animal trails left on the surface of Earth. The finding dates back to around half a billion years or so, and it could finally reveal more about this distant part of history, and the very first moving organisms.

科學家發(fā)現(xiàn)了地球表面可能存在的最早的動物足跡。這一發(fā)現(xiàn)可以追溯到大約5億年前，它最終可能揭示更多關于這段遙遠歷史的信息，以及最早移動的生物體。

What makes the finding particular special is that the fossil of the animal that made these marks has been found alongside its trail. In previous research, some guesswork had been required to figure out what sort of critters might have left evidence of their journeys.

這一發(fā)現(xiàn)的特別之處在于，留下這些痕跡的動物化石是在它的足跡旁邊發(fā)現(xiàn)的。在之前的研究中，需要一些猜測工作來弄清楚哪種動物可能留下了它們遷徙的證據(jù)。

The uncovered fossils include both the trails, and the tiny bugs called Yilingia spiciformis (or "spiky Yiling bug", Yiling being the nearest Chinese city to the discovery site). These millipede-like creatures would have been up to 10 cm or 4 inches long.

這些被發(fā)現(xiàn)的化石既包括這些痕跡，也包括一種名為為“蜘蛛形夷陵蟲”的小蟲子(或“蜘蛛狀夷陵蟲”，夷陵是離發(fā)現(xiàn)地點最近的中國城市)。這些類似千足蟲的生物可能長達10厘米或4英寸。

Artistic impression of Yilingia spiciformis. (Zhe Chen)

"This discovery shows that segmented and mobile animals evolved by 550 million years ago," says geoscientist Shuhai Xiao, from the Virginia Tech College of Science. "Mobility made it possible for animals to make an unmistakable footprint on Earth, both literally and metaphorically."

來自弗吉尼亞理工大學的地球科學家肖樹海說:“這一發(fā)現(xiàn)表明，分節(jié)動物和活動動物在5.5億年前就已經(jīng)進化出來了。”“無論是字面上還是隱喻上，移動使動物在地球上留下明確無誤的足跡成為可能。”

The researchers who made the discovery believe this find might be even more significant – it could represent the first known example of animals making decisions. Yilingia spiciformis might have been moving away from or towards something, perhaps due to a sophisticated central nervous system, though more research will be needed to be sure of that aspect.

做出這一發(fā)現(xiàn)的研究人員認為，這一發(fā)現(xiàn)可能更有意義——它可能代表著動物做出決定的首個已知例子?？赡苁怯捎趶碗s的中樞神經(jīng)系統(tǒng)，蜘蛛形夷陵蟲可能已經(jīng)離開或走向了某個地方，盡管還需要更多的研究來確定這一點。

That the bug had a 'head' and a 'tail', and was made up of segments, suggests it knew the direction it was going in as it travelled through the primordial ooze.

這只蟲子有一個“頭”和一個“尾”，由幾段組成，這表明它在穿過原始軟泥時知道它前進的方向。

Further examination of the fossil showed the animal rested along the way – perhaps it wasn't all that used to taking trips – while leaving trails up to 608 mm or 24 inches long.

對化石的進一步研究表明，這只動物在路上休息——也許它不太習慣旅行——同時留下608毫米或24英寸長的痕跡。

The finding backs up a previous hypothesis that creatures first evolved the ability to move around intentionally at some point during the Ediacaran Period, 635-540 million years ago.

這一發(fā)現(xiàn)支持了先前的一個假設，即在6.35-5.4億年前的埃迪卡拉紀的某個時期，進化出了有意識地四處活動的能力。

It marked the dawn of the bilaterians – bilaterally symmetrical animals with segmented bodies and control over their movements, thought to have appeared at this time. Most animals, including humans, are bilaterians.

它標志著雙側對稱動物的出現(xiàn)——雙側對稱的動物，身體分割，控制著它們的運動，據(jù)認為是在這個時候出現(xiàn)的。大多數(shù)動物，包括人類，都是雙足動物。

Of course, once you can propel yourself forward in a direction of your choosing, that's a big evolutionary advantage, one that us humans are still benefiting from today.

當然，一旦你能推動自己朝著自己選擇的方向前進，這是一個巨大的進化優(yōu)勢，我們?nèi)祟愔两袢栽趶闹惺芤妗?/p>

"[Bilaterians] ability to shape the face of the planet is ultimately tied to the origin of animal motility," says Xiao.

肖教授說：“塑造地球表面的能力最終與動物運動的起源有關。”

It's no exaggeration to say that life on Earth was never the same again after motility was developed – organisms being able to move on their own, with their own energy.

毫不夸張地說，地球上的生命在運動能力得到發(fā)展后就再也不一樣了——生物體能夠靠自己的能量移動。

This superpower helped lay the foundations for the explosion of life during the Cambrian Period, 541-485 million years ago.

這個超級大國在541- 4.85億年前的寒武紀時期幫助奠定了生命爆炸的基礎。

That's why scientists are so excited about what they've managed to find here: it's one of the first signs of the change in life on Earth that has since had an influence on almost every part of the way our society works today.

這就是為什么科學家們對他們在這里找到的東西如此興奮:這是地球上生命變化的第一個跡象之一，自那以后，這種變化幾乎影響了我們當今社會的方方面面。

"We are the most impactful animal on Earth," says Xiao. "We make a huge footprint, not only from locomotion, but in many other and more impactful activities related to our ability to move."

“我們是地球上最具影響力的動物，”肖說。“我們留下了巨大的足跡，不僅是通過移動，而且在許多與我們移動能力相關的其他更有影響力的活動中。”

"When and how animal locomotion evolved defines an important geological and evolutionary context of anthropogenic impact on the surface of the Earth."

“動物運動的進化時間和方式，決定了人類活動對地球表面影響的重要地質(zhì)和進化背景。”

The research has been published in Nature.

這項研究已發(fā)表在《自然》雜志上。