Incredible 47million-year-old fossil sheds new light on mystery ‘ALIEN plant’ – & it’s stranger than we first thought
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A MIND-boggling discovery has left scientists even more puzzled about one of the most mysterious fossils ever found. A 47-million-year-old plant fossil, first unearthed in Utah’s Green River Formation decades ago, has revealed that the so-called "alien plant" is even stranger than anyone thought.
![[The fossil was first uncovered in 1969 in the rich fossil beds near the ghost town of Rainbow, Utah]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/truth-sprout-incredible-47million-year-959633963.jpg?strip=all&w=650)
It is so strange, in fact, that it defies classification entirely. The unique specimen, known as Othniophyton elongatum, turns out to have no known relatives, living or extinct, making it a one-of-a-kind enigma in the world of paleobotany. What makes this discovery so shocking is that despite all efforts to match the plant to any modern or ancient species, scientists are still left with more questions than answers.
![[Othniophyton elongatum was entirely unique, with features no modern plant shares]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/truth-sprout-incredible-47million-year-959633965.jpg?strip=all&w=760)
The plant has neither modern nor extinct relatives, making the “alien” the only example ever seen of its kind. “It’s unclear how much diversity in this mysterious extinct group has been lost to time,” a statement from researchers read. "We just don’t know what else was out there.".
![[Researchers were able to see the plant's leaves, flowers, and fruit attached to the stem]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/truth-sprout-incredible-47million-year-959636872.jpg?strip=all&w=865)
With an unprecedented look at its full anatomy — thanks to cutting-edge technology — researchers have found that this "alien" plant is even more bizarre than the initial fossil leaves suggested. And it’s raising more eyebrows about just how much of the Earth’s ancient biodiversity has been lost to time.
![[A close up look of the fossilised leaves]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/truth-sprout-incredible-47million-year-959636873.jpg?strip=all&w=701)
The fossil was first uncovered in 1969 in the rich fossil beds near the ghost town of Rainbow, Utah, where palaeontologists initially found only a handful of leaves. These leaves, which led them to name the species Othniophyton elongatum, were unlike anything seen in living plants.
