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Health & Science2h 37m ago

A 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.

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Los Tuxtlas in Mexico, Spain’s Canary Islands

Who
international team led by Virginia Tech scientists, Paul Marek, Luisa “Fernanda” Vasquez-Valverde M.S. ’21, Ph.D. ’24
What
A 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.
When
Sun, 14 Jun 2026 15:40:15 GMT · 2h 37m ago
Where
Los Tuxtlas in Mexico, Spain’s Canary Islands ·
Why
This research utilized DNA sequences from modern specimens and fossil evidence to determine the origins of millipedes, which dated back roughly 460 million years ago, challenging previous estimates.
The Frontline Impact

How this affects you

This new understanding of millipede evolution fundamentally rewrites the timeline of terrestrial life, highlighting their critical role in shaping early ecosystems conducive to the eventual emergence of vertebrates and humans. It underscores the profound and ancient impact of invertebrates on Earth's habitability.

Story chain

5 events in this thread
  1. Health & Science2h 37m ago
    An 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
  2. Currently Reading2h 37m ago
    A 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.
  3. Health & Science5h 25m ago
    Entomologists 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
  4. Health & Science5h 25m ago
    Entomologists led by Virginia Tech reconstructed the evolutionary history of millipedes, placing their origins at nearly 460 million years ago.
    Open article
  5. Health & Science5h 25m 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.
    Open article

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