Our Great Ancestors Were. . . Sponges? | The Institute for Creation Research

Our Great Ancestors Were. . . Sponges?

Geochemists and paleontologists are on the lookout for “molecular fossils,” biochemicals that were resistant to breakdown even during rock-forming processes.1 These have been discovered now in the very lowest layers of sedimentary rock, far below the Cambrian.2 Certain chemicals, like some steroids made by sea sponges, indicate that sponges were present in the earliest times—if these rock layers indeed represent bygone eras.

In response to this news, the Daily Mail presented a short article titled, “Meet the ancestors: Earliest evidence of life suggests humans descended from sponges 635 million years ago.”3 But nothing about the find suggested any evolutionary link between sponges and humans.

The new research instead showed that sponges probably existed when these rocks were formed. Rather than requiring an evolutionary explanation, this evidence falls well within the interpretive realm of creation flood models. The strongest interpretation for the origin of rock layers is that they formed by catastrophic deposition during Noah’s Flood. In this context, the lowest layers represent the first areas to have been deluged.4 Since these rocks contain evidence of shallow sea creatures, it could be that shallow seas were the first to be washed away. Consistent with this hypothesis, Nature reported that this earliest animal life “first achieved ecological prominence in shallow marine waters.”2 Thus, the fossil distribution does not represent fauna of a bygone era, but fauna of a bygone biome.

Sponges are multicellular sea creatures, but the cells are held together so loosely that they can re-gather after having been blended apart.5 Evolutionary scientists have presumed that since these organisms are so simple in structure, the first multi-cellular creatures to have evolved must have been very similar. Thus, they hypothesize a scenario whereby single-celled creatures banded together to form the “ancestor of all animals, known as the urmetazoan.”6

However, “with the urmetazoan dead for more than half a billion years, studying it is something of a challenge. No fossils have been found, so there are no physical clues to its appearance.”6 If these newly-discovered chemical fossils came from sponges and not urmetazoans—and observation demonstrates that sponges can make these sterols—then the “urmetazoan” remains in the realm of speculation, along with the idea that sponges somehow became people.

References

  1. Höld, I. M. et al. 1999. Origin of free and bound mid-chain methyl alkanes in oils, bitumens and kerogens of the marine, Infracambrian Huqf Formation (Oman). Organic Geochemistry. 30 (11): 1411-1428.
  2. Love, G. D. et al. 2009. Fossil steroids record the appearance of Demospongiae during the Cryogenian period. Nature. 457 (7230): 718-721.
  3. Meet the ancestors: Earliest evidence of life suggests humans descended from sponges 635 million years ago. Mail Online. Posted on dailymail.co.uk February 5, 2009, accessed February 19, 2009.
  4. Wise, K. P. 2008. Sinking a Floating Forest. Answers. 3 (4): 40-45.
  5. Cells in a sponge have no cell junctions.
  6. Pilcher, H. 2005. Back to our roots. Nature. 435 (7045): 1022-1023.

* Mr. Thomas is Science Writer.

Article posted on February 26, 2009.

The Latest
NEWS
Liberty and the Word of God
“And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts” (Psalm 119:45). July 4th is called Independence Day here in our country because on...

NEWS
July 2025 ICR Wallpaper
"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome...

NEWS
Valued Longtime ICR Employee Mary Smith Retires
Mary Morris Smith, an employee of the Institute for Creation Research for many years, has retired. The second daughter of ICR founder Dr. Henry M. Morris...

NEWS
Man of Science, Man of God: George Washington Carver
Who:  George Washington Carver What: Father of Modern Agriculture When: 1864 or 1865 – January 5, 1943 Where: Diamond Grove,...

ACTS & FACTS
The Scopes Monkey Trial: A Battle of Worldviews
Rhea County Courthouse in Dayton, Tennessee, and its statue of William Jennings Bryan Image credit: M. Mueller The Scopes Monkey...

ACTS & FACTS
Long Non-Coding RNAs: The Unsung Heroes of the Genome
Evolutionary theory holds that all living things came about through random, natural processes. So conventional scientists believe the genome has developed...

ACTS & FACTS
Yosemite National Park, Part 1: Tiny Clues of a Grand Picture
Yosemite National Park in California is a sure source of stunning scenery. It’s no wonder that American naturalist John Muir persuaded President...

ACTS & FACTS
From Inference to Theory: A Common Design Case Study
Without a doubt, humans, chimpanzees, and other organisms share similar features. An early explanation was that these features reflect similar designs...

ACTS & FACTS
Creation Kids: T. rex
by Michael Stamp and Susan Windsor* You're never too young to be a creation scientist and explore our Creator's world. Kids, discover...

ACTS & FACTS
Entering By The Door
Recently, I hosted a visiting pastor from a large church at ICR’s Discovery Center. As I guided him through our Dallas museum, one conversation...