By McKenzie Harris/Florida State University In the shadow of South Australia’s largest mountain range beneath the outback soil lies a fossil record that reveals a rich history of life on Earth. Fossils found at Nilpena Ediacara National Park preserve a pivotal moment in the history of evolution: the crucial period during which single-celled organisms began to evolve into the planet’s first complex, visible animals. A new discovery in the area by Scott Evans, assistant professor of geology in the Florida State University Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, and a multi-institution team of paleontologists has identified an early marine animal from around 555 million years ago. The discovery helps answer how life evolved on Earth. Quaestio simpsonorum is the first animal to show definitive left-right asymmetry, an important sign of evolutionary development. The team’s findings appear in the September issue of Evolution & Development. Fossilized Leg of Dinosaur Ripped Off by Catastrophic Asteroid Impact Found The 130-Million-Year-Old Human Fossil Heist Read moreSection: NewsEvolution & Human OriginsRead Later