{
  "id": 12540262,
  "title": "Animals may have evolved 200 million years earlier than we thought",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/animals-may-have-evolved-200-million-years-earlier-than-we-thought",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-07T02:29:56.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "ScienceDaily",
    "slug": "sciencedaily",
    "url": "https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/10/261003234023.htm"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "New research suggests animals could have evolved as early as 800 to 700 million years ago, roughly 200 million years earlier than some previous estimates. If so, the first animals may have lived before or during Snowball Earth, leaving behind little trace because their soft bodies were rarely preserved.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Discover Magazine",
        "title": "The First Animals May Have Arrived 200-Million Years Earlier Than Previously Thought",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/the-first-animals-may-have-arrived-200-million-years-earlier-than",
        "published": "2026-10-06T21:45:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}