Go Unlimited with Magzter GOLD
Get unlimited access to 10,000+ magazines, newspapers and Premium stories for just
Try GOLD - Free
Fossils reveal a whole new type of life
BBC Science Focus
|May 2025
A strange giant cylindrical lifeform might not be a fungus after all
-
In the natural world, life is divided into several categories: animals, plants, fungi, protists (such as algae or amoebas), bacteria and archaea (microscopic singlecelled organisms). But recent research has suggested this list might not be exhaustive, because of a prehistoric cylindrical lifeform that some UK scientists think belonged to a now-extinct, totally unique branch of the tree of life.
The strange organism in question is called Prototaxites and lived approximately 440-360 million years ago - the period when oxygen from plants and fungi meant Earth started to become habitable for animals.
This story is from the May 2025 edition of BBC Science Focus.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM BBC Science Focus
BBC Science Focus
World's biggest cobweb is home to 100,000 spiders
Spiders don't normally create such large colonies, so there's no need to worry about finding one in your basement
1 min
February 2026
BBC Science Focus
A dementia vaccine could be gamechanging – and available already
Getting vaccinated against shingles could protect you from getting dementia, or slow the progression of the disease
1 mins
February 2026
BBC Science Focus
DATA IN SPACE
An unusual spacecraft reached orbit in November 2025, one that might herald the dawn of a new era.
7 mins
February 2026
BBC Science Focus
Climate change is already shrinking your salary
No matter where you live, a new study has found warmer temperatures are picking your pocket
4 mins
February 2026
BBC Science Focus
A MENTAL HEALTH GLOW-UP
Forget fine lines. Could Botox give you an unexpected mental health tweakment?
3 mins
February 2026
BBC Science Focus
Most people with high cholesterol gene don't know they have it
Standard testing struggles to detect the condition
1 mins
February 2026
BBC Science Focus
HOW CAN I BOOST MY IQ?
If you're serious about getting smarter, it's time to ditch the brain-training apps
4 mins
February 2026
BBC Science Focus
Humans are absolutely terrible at reading dogs' emotions
Think you can tell how our furry friends are feeling? Think again
1 mins
February 2026
BBC Science Focus
HOW TO TEACH AI RIGHT FROM WRONG
If we want to get good responses from AI, we may need to see what it does when we ask it to be evil
3 mins
February 2026
BBC Science Focus
What Australia's social media ban could really mean for under-16s
Many people think social media is bad for our kids. Australia is trying to prove it
5 mins
February 2026
Listen
Translate
Change font size