Scientists Reclassify Prototaxites As Extinct Lineage

Researchers published a study in Science Advances identifying Prototaxites, a 407-million-year-old Rhynie chert fossil species (Prototaxites taiti), as chemically and anatomically distinct from fungi and plants. Using 3D laser imaging and a machine-learning chemical fingerprint model, they found three tube types and absence of fungal compounds like chitin and glucan. The team concludes Prototaxites represents an independent, now-extinct multicellular lineage, reshaping views of early terrestrial ecosystems.