【#Tech24H】When did bryozoans first appear? This question, which puzzled the scientific community for nearly a century, has now been answered. A Chinese research team has made a key discovery, well-preserved fossils of miniature bryozoans in Early Cambrian strata dating back approximately 518 million years in Hanzhong, Shaanxi Province. These fossils contain both mineralized skeletons and in-situ soft tissues, pushing the reliable fossil record of bryozoans from the Ordovician (around 480 million years ago) back to the Early Cambrian, a leap forward of about 50 million years, and conclusively confirming the Cambrian origin of bryozoans. [ By Zhang Liyan | Tang Ruohan ]