410-million-year-old fossil joins National Museums Scotland collection
A remarkable fossil dating back around 410 million years has been added to the collections of National Museums Scotland, offering new insight into a mysterious form of prehistoric life that once dominated parts of north-east Scotland.
The fossil is a specimen of Prototaxites, a giant organism that lived long before trees as we know them existed. Discovered near the village of Rhynie in Aberdeenshire, it comes from the internationally important Rhynie chert, a sedimentary deposit known for its exceptionally well-preserved early life forms.
A giant from a very different world
At its full height, Prototaxites could grow to around 26 feet (eight metres) tall, towering over the low plants and simple animals that shared the landscape at the time. For decades, scientists debated what kind of organism it actually was.
Once thought to be a type of fungus, new research now suggests Prototaxites belonged to an entirely separate branch of life — one that no longer exists anywhere on Earth.
What the new research shows
The fossil supports a growing body of evidence that Prototaxites doesn’t fit neatly into existing categories like plants or fungi. Instead, researchers believe it represents a distinct evolutionary experiment, preserved in stone but otherwise lost to time.
Dr Sandy Hetherington, senior lecturer in biological sciences at the University of Edinburgh and co-lead author of the research, described the discovery as a major moment in a long-running scientific debate. He explained that Prototaxites exhibits anatomical and chemical features unlike those of any living organism today, placing it on a completely extinct evolutionary branch.
Even for a site as scientifically significant as Rhynie, he noted, these specimens are exceptional.
From field discovery to national collection
The fossil was originally found by a local landowner, before being studied and is now formally added to the National Museums Scotland collection. It will be cared for at the museum’s collection centre in Edinburgh, where it can be preserved and made available for future research.
Dr Nick Fraser, keeper of natural sciences at National Museums Scotland, said the museum was delighted to add the specimen, noting that collections like these help tell the story of Scotland’s place in the history of life on Earth — from deep geological time to the present day.
He also highlighted the importance of museum collections in modern research, where historic and newly discovered specimens can be re-examined using new techniques and technologies.
