In another of those regular events in science, a team of researchers led by the University of Vale do Taquari – Univates, Rio Grande, Brazil, through the Graduate Program in Environment and Development (PPGAD), re-examined material held in the Univates Palaeontological Collection. Using modern equipment that was not available when the fossils were first studied more than 50 years ago, they uncovered new information – and, without intending to, once again demonstrated the weakness of creationist claims. As usual, creationism is refuted by the evidence.
What the team discovered were plant spores preserved in situ in fossils dating to between 298.9 and 252.17 million years ago – long before dinosaurs appeared and well before flowering plants evolved. At that time, the most advanced land plants were spore-bearing, like today’s mosses and ferns. This showed that the original classification as Lycopodites was incorrect. Instead, the fossils belonged to a new genus, which the team named Franscinella, giving the newly described Upper Palaeozoic plant the species name Franscinella riograndensis.
The significance extends further: the spores, now positively linked to this species, are index microfossils found in Permian strata of the Paraná Basin. Yet creationists routinely dismiss the use of index fossils in geochronology as “circular reasoning.” The ability to tie these spores directly to a particular species undermines that objection and strengthens their role in stratigraphy.
Background to the study. 🪨 The Permian Period (298.9–252.17 Ma)These findings are published in the journal Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology. The research and its significance are also explained in a Univates press release, which includes a helpful glossary of technical terms.
- The last period of the Palaeozoic Era.
- Saw the diversification of spore-bearing plants like ferns, horsetails, and lycophytes.
- Ended with the largest mass extinction in Earth’s history, wiping out ~90% of marine species and ~70% of terrestrial species.
🌱 Spore-Bearing Plants
- Unlike flowering plants, they reproduce with spores, not seeds.
- Modern examples: mosses, ferns, and clubmosses.
- In the Permian, they dominated many ecosystems before seed plants became widespread.
🔍 Index Fossils
- Fossils of species that were widespread but only lived for a relatively short geological time span.
- Used by geologists to identify and date the layers of rock in which they’re found.
- In this study, spores of Franscinella riograndensis serve as such an index microfossil.
🧬 Lycopodites vs Franscinella
- Lycopodites: a “catch-all” name often used for poorly preserved fossil plants resembling lycophytes.
- Franscinella: a newly defined genus, described in 2025 from Brazilian fossils.
- Naming a new genus reflects advances in palaeobotany and improved fossil analysis techniques.
⚖️ Why It Matters for Science vs. Creationism
- Creationists often claim index fossils are “circular reasoning.”
- Tying spores directly to a specific species, as in this research, provides an independent verification of stratigraphy.
- Once again, evidence from the rocks fits perfectly into the evolutionary timeline, not a “young Earth” narrative.
296-Million-Year-Old Fossil Unearthed in Brazil Sheds Light on Ancient Plant Mystery Hidden for Over Half a Century
Brazilian paleobotany has just solved an enigma: the redefinition of a fossil plant described decades ago in southern Brazil and the creation of a new genus, Franscinella, to accommodate the species now called Franscinella riograndensis (Salvi et al.) Carniere, Pozzebon-Silva, Guerra-Sommer, Uhl, Jasper et. Spiekermann comb. nov. The study is part of the master's thesis by Júlia Siqueira Carniere, currently a doctoral student in the Graduate Program in Environment and Development at Univates (PPGAD). The article, recently published in the scientific journal Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, reinterprets the type material previously classified as Lycopodites riograndensis and establishes the first record of lycopodites with in situ spores in the Permian strata of the Paraná Basin.
The discovery reclassifies its original taxonomy and presents a possible resolution to a scientific challenge that had persisted for more than 50 years - finding in situ plant spores preserved in Upper Paleozoic clastic rocks (between 298.9 million years and 252.17 million years) for Brazil. The feat was made possible thanks to the way the fossil material was preserved, a set of cutting-edge methodologies combining advanced microscopy techniques and an interdisciplinary collaboration between leading institutions in Brazil.
A new look at a classic fossil
The species Lycopodites riograndensis had originally been described on the basis of general macro-morphological characteristics observed in the fossil material. These analyses, made decades ago, considered the shape and arrangement of the stems, but did not have access to more detailed internal information, especially about the anatomy and spores.
With advances in microscopic preparation and analysis techniques, the team led by the University of Vale do Taquari - Univates, through the Graduate Program in Environment and Development (PPGAD) decided to revisit the standard material, which was available for study in the Univates Paleontological Collection. The aim was to investigate whether, using more refined methodologies, it would be possible to obtain unpublished anatomical and palynological data.
The work used scanning electron microscopy (SEM), vinyl polysiloxane silicone molding (VPS) and transmitted light microscopy, resources that allow surfaces and internal structures to be visualized with great magnification and detail. This approach revealed key elements that justified the taxonomic redefinition, including: isotomic branching in the stems, a typical feature of some fossil lycopsids; tracheids of the vascular cylinder with preserved structure, important for identifying extinct plant groups; and trilete spores with verrucate sculpture preserved in situ, i.e. still within the reproductive structures of the plant.
Obtaining the spores in situ was a decisive - and complex - step. The solution came with the use of the infrastructure of the itt Oceaneon Technological Institute at the University of Vale do Rio dos Sinos (Unisinos), which specializes in the recovery of microfossils - such as pollen grains, spores and marine organisms like radiolarians and ostracodes. The itt Oceaneon team applied a specific protocol for recovering spores in situ, which proved to be efficient for this type of material.
From micro to macro: connecting fossil records
The spores found in Franscinella riograndensis show morphology compatible with the palynological genus Converrucosisporites, common in Permian deposits in the Paraná Basin. This correspondence is relevant because it directly links the macrofossil record (visible parts of the plant) to the microfossil record (spores and pollen grains), broadening our understanding of past vegetation and ecosystems.
In practice, this means that researchers can now make more complete interpretations of Permian plant communities, integrating information from different lines of evidence. In addition, this correlation contributes to biostratigraphy studies, which use fossils to date and correlate rock layers.
Why is this discovery important?
The redefinition of Franscinella riograndensis shows how revisiting known fossils with new tools can generate groundbreaking discoveries. Many fossil groups, such as lycopodids, have historically been classified under broad, generic genera, in this case Lycopodites. This type of umbrella classification was a practical solution in the absence of more detailed information, but tends to be revised when new data becomes available.
From a paleobotanical point of view, the recording of lycopsids with spores in situ in the Paraná Basin opens up new perspectives for reconstructing the flora of the Permian and for understanding the evolution of vascular plants. From a global scientific perspective, this study contributes to the understanding of the diversity and distribution of herbaceous lycopsids during the Permian in Gondwana, being only the fifth known record, which makes this type of occurrence rare. In addition, it allows comparisons with similar records in other regions of the world, offering new data on the evolution and ecology of these plant groups in the Paleozoic.
The path of the research: institutions and funding
The research was led by scientists from Univates, with decisive participation from itt Oceaneon/Unisinos in the palynological preparation. The work also included contributions from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul - UFRGS and researchers from international institutions such as Senckenberg in Germany. Júlia Siqueira Carniere, Ândrea Pozzebon-Silva, Rafael Spiekermann, Lilian Maia Leandro, Margot Guerra-Sommer, Dieter Uhl and André Jasper. Technical support from Tecnovates (Univates Science and Technology Park) was fundamental for the infrastructure and logistics stages. The project received funding from Brazilian science development agencies, including the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) and the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES).
Glossary
- Paraná Basin - A large sedimentary basin stretching across parts of Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina, containing rocks of various geological ages.
- Biostratigraphy - Branch of geology that uses fossils to correlate and date layers of sedimentary rocks.
- Converrucosisporites - A palynological genus based on the morphology of certain types of fossil spore.
- Verrucate sculpture - Surface ornamentation of spores or pollen characterized by rounded, wart-like projections.
- Trilete spores - Spores with a "Y" shaped mark resulting from the process of cell division in the formation of the spore.
- Gondwana - Supercontinent that existed from the end of the Paleozoic to the Mesozoic, bringing together the current continents of the Southern Hemisphere, such as South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia and India.
- In situ - Latin expression meaning "in the original place"; in paleobotany, it indicates that the microfossil is preserved in the position and place of origin.
- Lycopods (Lycopsida) - Group of primitive vascular plants, with current representatives such as Selaginella and Lycopodium, but much more diverse in the past.
- Type material - Set of fossils or specimens used to formally describe a new species.
- Transmitted light microscopy - Technique that uses light passing through the sample to reveal internal structures.
- Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) - A technique that uses a beam of electrons to generate high-resolution images of the surface of a sample.
- Vinyl polysiloxane silicone (VPS) molding - A method for creating detailed molds of surfaces, often used by dentists.
- Upper Paleozoic - Subdivision of the geological time scale that covers the Carboniferous and Permian periods, between approximately 359 and 252 million years ago.
- Palynomorphs - Microfossils of organic origin, such as pollen grains, spores and some algae.
- Clastic rocks - Sedimentary rocks formed by the accumulation and compaction of fragments (clasts) of other rocks or minerals.
Publication:
Highlights
- Reinvestigation of herbaceous lycopsid fossils using palaeobotanical and palynological techniques.
- Franscinella gen. nov. is proposed to accommodate specimens previously assigned to Lycopodites riograndensis.
- First record of in situ spores for late Palaeozoic lycopsids of the Paraná Basin.
Abstract
The type material of Lycopodites riograndensis was revised alongside the description of new specimens, all originating from an Asselian ash-fall horizon from the Quitéria outcrop in southern Brazil, representing the type locality and stratum of that fossil-species. The adpression fossils were analysed using a set of techniques which revealed new information, including dichotomous isotomous branching, details of the tracheids of the vascular cylinder, and information on sporangial wall cells, in addition to well-preserved in situ isospores. Based on that, Franscinella gen. nov. is proposed to accommodate specimens previously assigned to Lycopodites riograndensis. This represents the first record of in situ spores for late Palaeozoic lycopsids of the Paraná Basin.
Carniere, Júlia Siqueira; Pozzebon-Silva, Ândrea; Spiekermann, Rafael; Leandro, Lilian Maia; Guerra-Sommer, Margot; Uhl, Dieter; Jasper, André
Franscinella riograndensis (Salvi et al.) gen. nov. et comb. nov.: The first record of a lycopsid with in situ spores for the Permian strata of the Paraná Basin, Brazil
Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology (2025) 342 105401 DOI: 10.1016/j.revpalbo.2025.105401
© 2025 Elsevier B.V.
Reprinted under the terms of s60 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
This discovery is a textbook example of how science works. Fossils collected decades ago, when analytical techniques were less advanced, have been revisited with modern tools and methods. Instead of treating knowledge as fixed, scientists constantly test, refine, and, when necessary, correct earlier conclusions. What was once classified under a broad, provisional name has now been placed in a new genus, *Franscinella*, thanks to more precise evidence. Far from being a weakness, this willingness to revise and improve is the strength of science.
For creationists, however, such findings present a recurring problem. The spores identified in these fossils are now firmly tied to a species that lived during the Permian, nearly 300 million years ago – long before flowering plants, and far outside the few-thousand-year timescale claimed by young-Earth creationism. These spores also serve as index fossils, a tool creationists often dismiss as “circular reasoning.” Yet the direct association between a specific fossil species and its spores provides independent confirmation of the reliability of stratigraphy and geochronology.
Once again, the evidence from rocks and fossils lines up seamlessly with evolutionary theory and deep geological time, and not with creationist claims. The outcome was not sought with the intent of disproving creationism, but it inevitably does so – because reality, tested carefully and repeatedly, supports science.
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