Tourism, Culture and Recreation
September 24, 2014

The following is being distributed at the request of The Rooms:

Newly Discovered Fossil on Display at The Rooms

An internationally significant fossil, discovered recently on the Bonavista Peninsula, Newfoundland and Labrador, is now being housed at The Rooms for conservation, safe keeping, future research and public viewing. Haootia Quadriformis, believed to be the earliest evidence of muscular tissue found on record, dates back 560 million years and impacts the current understanding of the origin of animals.

At 7:00 p.m. this evening (Wednesday, September 24) research team members Dr. Alex Liu, Postdoctoral Researcher at Cambridge University, and Jack Matthews, Oxford University, PhD candidate, will be at The Rooms to give a public lecture about the process of discovering, verifying and preserving this important part of the province’s natural heritage. Following the lecture, the scientists will be available to the media.

An unusual new fossil discovery of one of the earliest animals on Earth, this sample may also provide the oldest evidence of muscle tissue – the bundles of cells that make movement in animals possible. This rare example of an Ediacaran animal is one of the oldest fossils to show evidence of muscle anywhere in the world.

Following this evening’s event, The Rooms staff will prepare the fossil for permanent display next month.

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Media contact:

Jena Mitchell Marketing Manager The Rooms 709-757-8144 jenamitchell@therooms.ca

2014 09 24                                           4:20 p.m.