"A team of paleontologists has discovered the oldest animal with a skeleton.  Called Coronacollina acula, the organism is between 560 million and 550 million years old, which places it in the Ediacaran period, before the explosion of life and diversification of organisms took place on Earth in the Cambrian.

The finding provides insight into the evolution of life – particularly, early life – on the planet, why animals go extinct, and how organisms respond to environmental changes.  The discovery also can help scientists recognize life elsewhere in the universe."

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