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Health & Science4h 0m ago
Entomologists led by Virginia Tech reconstructed the evolutionary history of millipedes, placing two elusive groups, Siphoniulida and Siphonocryptida, to understand Earth’s oldest land animals.
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Los Tuxtlas, Mexico, Spain’s Canary Islands
Who
Dr. Paul Marek, Luisa ‘Fernanda’ Vasquez-Valverde, Virginia Tech, Sci.News
What
Entomologists led by Virginia Tech reconstructed the evolutionary history of millipedes, placing two elusive groups, Siphoniulida and Siphonocryptida, to understand Earth’s oldest land animals.
When
Sun, 14 Jun 2026 12:51:55 GMT · 4h 0m ago
Where
Los Tuxtlas, Mexico, Spain’s Canary Islands ·
Why
The research aimed to fill the last missing pieces in the evolutionary history of millipedes, which are Earth’s oldest land animals.
The Frontline Impact
How this affects you
Millipedes appeared nearly 460 million years ago, making them pioneers of terrestrial life, and their chemical defenses dating back 260 million years represent some of the Earth's earliest biological chemical weapons. This discovery challenges previous timelines for land colonization and biodefense evolution.
Story chain
5 events in this thread- Health & Science1h 11m agoAn international team led by Virginia Tech scientists pushed the origins of millipedes back to roughly 460 million years ago, about 35 million years earlier than their oldest known fossils.Open article
- Health & Science1h 11m agoA new study has resolved one of the final mysteries in the evolutionary saga of millipedes, offering fresh insight into the humble decomposers that helped prepare the planet for more complex terrestrial life.Open article
- Health & Science4h 0m agoEntomologists led by Virginia Tech reconstructed the evolutionary history of millipedes, placing two elusive groups, Siphoniulida and Siphonocryptida, and tracing millipede origins to nearly 460 million years ago.Open article
- Health & Science4h 0m agoEntomologists led by Virginia Tech reconstructed the evolutionary history of millipedes, placing their origins at nearly 460 million years ago.Open article
- Currently Reading4h 0m agoEntomologists led by Virginia Tech reconstructed the evolutionary history of millipedes, placing two elusive groups, Siphoniulida and Siphonocryptida, to understand Earth’s oldest land animals.