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Palaeontology

Undressing and redressing Ediacaran embryos (Reply)

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Abstract

Xiao et al.1 suggest that the presence of a textured capsule surrounding some Doushantuo globular microfossils calls into question the alternative interpretation of these structures as giant sulphur bacteria similar to modern Thiomargarita2. However, the outer coatings illustrated by Xiao et al.1 are similar morphologically to known bacterial features, and the texture, location and thickness change of the capsule is inconsistent with that of a fertilization envelope. We are therefore not convinced that the bacterial hypothesis has been falsified.

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Figure 1: Interpretation of microfossil bodies enclosed in textured envelopes.

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, 90089, California, USA

    Jake V. Bailey & Frank A. Corsetti

  2. Department of Marine Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, 30602, Georgia, USA

    Samantha B. Joye & Karen M. Kalanetra

  3. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, 90089, California, USA

    Beverly E. Flood

Authors
  1. Jake V. Bailey
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  2. Samantha B. Joye
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  3. Karen M. Kalanetra
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  4. Beverly E. Flood
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  5. Frank A. Corsetti
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Correspondence to Jake V. Bailey.

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Bailey, J., Joye, S., Kalanetra, K. et al. Undressing and redressing Ediacaran embryos (Reply). Nature 446, E10–E11 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature05754

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