558-million-year-old cholesterol reveals oldest known animal

Scientists have identified the oldest known macroscopic animal, an oval-shaped organism called Dickinsonia, based on 558-million-year-old fossils found on the coast of White Sea in Russia. The discovery was confirmed by identifying the organic remains on the fossils to be ancient cholesterol. The study solves "a decades-old mystery that has been the holy grail of palaeontology", said a researcher.