Helical chirality is a widespread phenomenon observed in both extant organisms and the fossil record.Despite its prevalence,this phenomenon has received comparatively little attention in scientific research,especially in the context of small shelly fossils from the Early Cambrian.Anabaritids,a group of tubular fossils exhibiting distinctive triradial symmetry,are known from the Early Cambrian strata worldwide.Previous studies on some helical anabaritid species have mostly focused on morphological descriptions,with the underlying causes for their helical chirality remaining largely unexplored.This study examines the mechanism responsible for the fixed right-handed(dextral)spiral chiralityobserved in Anabarites cf.tripartitus,based on an analysis of 111 specimensobtained from Member 5 of the Yanjiahe Formation(Cambrian Stage 2)in the Three Gorges area of Hubei Province,China.The cause of right-handed helical chirality should be inferred from the perspective of molecular genetics,considering biological factors(e.g.,functional morphology,molecular developmental biology)instead of external environmental factors(e.g.,water change,taphonomy,Coriolis force).
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