Key Points
This chance discovery offers critical data for understanding how life adapts to extreme environmental challenges...
A chance discovery in the Italian Alps has unveiled a remarkably preserved 280-million-year-old ecosystem, providing scientists with an unprecedented glimpse into life during the Permian period...
Hiker Claudia Steffensen stumbled upon the find in 2023 while exploring the Valtellina Orobie Mountains Park, noticing unusual patterns on a rock slab that resembled animal tracks...
Further exploration uncovered additional sandstone slabs containing a wealth of fossils, including plant fragments, ripple marks from ancient lakeshores, and even raindrop imprints...
The fossils, found at altitudes exceeding 9,800 feet, date back to the Permian period, a time of significant environmental change on Earth...
