‘Dickinsonia fossil’ found in Bhimbetka

February 23, 2023

Context:

Fossils of an extinct species of animal that scientists reported in a sensational discovery from India’s Bhimbetka Rock Shelters in 2021 have been found to be belied hopes.

About the news:

In March 2020, Dr. Retallack, a Professor of palaeontology at the University of Oregon, and some other researchers spotted by chance what looked like a 44cm wide fossil of Dickinsonia, an animal that lived at least 538 million years ago, in a cave.
Dickinsonia fossils in other parts of the world have indicated it was circular or oval in shape, somewhat flat, with riblike structures radiating from a central column
They published a paper describing their findings in February 2021.
Joseph Meert- Professor of geology at the University of Florida, visited the same Bhimbetka cave in December 2022, he found some discrepancies with the other fossil finds.
He concluded that the impression resulted from decay of a modern beehive which was attached to a fractured rock surface.
Dr Retallack has acknowledged that they are planning to correct their paper.
While the fossils were believed to be legitimate, they suggested that the youngest Upper Vindhyan sediments were 540 million years old; the rock shelters are located in this area.
But now that the finding has been overturned, the age of the Upper Vindhyan remains contested.