Mushroom fossil is oldest land-based organism

A mushroom dating back 440 million years is the oldest fossil of a land-dwelling organism ever found, say scientists.

The fungus and others like it paved the way for more complex plants and later animals making the leap from the oceans to the land by kick-starting the process of soil formation.

The early pioneer, known as tortotubus, has a structure similar to that found in modern fungi and was probably able to store and transport nutrients through the process of decomposition.