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Health & Science2h 36m 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.
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Los Tuxtlas in Mexico, Spain’s Canary Islands
Who
Paul Marek, Luisa “Fernanda” Vasquez-Valverde M.S. '21, Ph.D. '24, Virginia Tech scientists
What
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.
When
Sun, 14 Jun 2026 15:40:15 GMT · 2h 36m ago
Where
Los Tuxtlas in Mexico, Spain’s Canary Islands ·
Why
A new study resolved mysteries in millipede evolution by integrating DNA sequences with fossil evidence, providing insight into their role in preparing Earth for terrestrial life.
The Frontline Impact
How this affects you
This research significantly revises the timeline of terrestrial life, demonstrating that millipedes were thriving on land 80 million years before vertebrates and played a crucial role in shaping early ecosystems. It highlights the long evolutionary history of decomposers that are foundational to planetary health.
Story chain
5 events in this thread- Currently Reading2h 36m 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.
- Health & Science2h 36m 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 & Science5h 25m 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 & Science5h 25m agoEntomologists led by Virginia Tech reconstructed the evolutionary history of millipedes, placing their origins at nearly 460 million years ago.Open article
- Health & Science5h 25m 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.Open article