Utah's 47-Million-Year-Old 'Alien Plant' Fossil Baffles Experts

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The plant, named Othniophyton elongatum (meaning "alien plant"), shows unique characteristics unseen in other plants.

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When first found in 1969 near Rainbow, a ghost town in Utah, scientists mistook it for the ginseng family.

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Scientists have found this 47-million-year-old plant fossil in Utah that's unlike anything seen before, showing no similarity to 400 species of plants- existing or extinct.

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Steven Manchester notes that the plant has its twig with attached fruits and leaves which are usually found separately.

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Most notably, it keeps its male reproductive parts (stamens) attached long after producing fruit, which is a feature not found in any known plant species today.

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The plant was preserved in an ancient lake near active volcanoes, where low-oxygen mud and volcanic ash created perfect conditions for a slowed decomposition, and fossil preservation.

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Earth's plant diversity was richer than previously understood. And, as scientists continue studying museum specimens, we gain insight into the history of plant evolution.

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New technology, like artificial intelligence and powerful microscopes, have helped reveal its true distinctiveness.

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