Tiny fossils hold clues to ancient ocean network
A Swiss research team has uncovered 242-million-year-old fossils on the Monte San Giorgio in canton Ticino. The scientists found seven fossil varieties which are fractions of a millimeter wide – less than half the width of a pin head.
As there are similarities between the newly discovered fossils and others found thousands of kilometres away, the tiny specimens are thought to be plankton from a network of ancient sea beds that may have extended as far as modern China.
On the other hand, based on the exceptional condition of the many fossils that have been found there, researchers believe the Monte San Giorgio’s ancient ocean basin was somewhat cut off from other bodies of water.
The team which made the latest fossil discovery comprises scientists from the Ticino Natural History Museum, Lausanne University and the Earth Surface Processes and Paleobiosphere programme, a research consortium from universities in French-speaking Switzerland.
More
Wealth is not all: how gentrification in Zurich has led to housing shortage
More
How a top Swiss university is screening Chinese students
More
Switzerland, the promised land of coats of arms
More
How Swiss festive bad boy Schmutzli cleaned up his act
More
Swiss youth in vocational training seek jobs less prone to automation
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.