由美国自然历史博物馆和达特茅斯大学科学家领导的研究团队在加拿大西北地区麦肯齐山脉发现了一处富集化石遗址，出土了约5.67亿年前的艾迪卡拉生物群化石[1]。这一发现表明动物的运动、有性繁殖和复杂身体构造出现的时间比之前认为的早5-1000万年[1]。
研究团队共发现超过100块化石，其中包括6个在北美从未记录过的分类群，并首次在北美地区发现了白海组合的相关化石[1]。这些化石比其他已知的白海组合化石早5-1000万年[1]。
研究人员在遗址中识别出了Dickinsonia、Funisia、Kimberella和Eoandromeda等物种[1]。研究项目负责人Scott Evans表示："如果我们想理解这个转变，当生命首次变得庞大、复杂和明确的动物时，这个新遗址具有巨大潜力"[1]。该研究成果已发表在《Science Advances》期刊2026年第12卷第21期，参与机构还包括斯坦福大学和宾夕法尼亚州立大学[1]。
Researchers have discovered a rich fossil site in Canada's Northwest Territories containing approximately 567-million-year-old specimens from the Ediacaran fauna, fundamentally reshaping our understanding of early animal evolution [1]. The fossils indicate that animal locomotion, sexual reproduction, and complex body structures emerged 5 to 10 million years earlier than previously believed [1]. This represents the first time fossils from the Whitehouse assemblage have been documented in North America [1].
The excavation yielded over 100 fossils, including six taxonomic groups never before recorded in North America [1]. Notable species identified at the site include Dickinsonia, Funisia, Kimberella, and Eoandromeda [1]. The research was led by scientists from the American Museum of Natural History and Dartmouth University, with collaboration from Stanford University and Pennsylvania State University [1]. Scott Evans, the lead researcher, emphasized the significance of the discovery, stating: "If we want to understand this transition, when life first became large, complex, and distinctly animal, this new site has enormous potential" [1].
The findings have been published in Science Advances, Volume 12, Issue 21, 2026 [1]. The fossil site is located in the Mackenzie Mountains of Canada's Northwest Territories [1].