scale microfossils

{{Short description|Fossil mineralised plates}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| fossil_range = {{Long fossil range | 810}}

| taxon = Apatitic scale microfossils

}}

Apatitic scale microfossils are a group of reticulate phosphatic plates found in the Neoproterozoic ({{Ma|810}}) strata of the Fifteenmile Group, Yukon, Canada. They represent some of the earliest examples of biologically induced biomineralization, using the mineral hydroxyapatite.{{cite journal| doi=10.1126/sciadv.1700095| title=Controlled hydroxyapatite biomineralization in an ~810 million-year-old unicellular eukaryote| journal=Science Advances| volume=3| issue=6| pages=e1700095| year=2017| last1=Cohen| first1=Phoebe A.| last2=Strauss| first2=Justin V.| last3=Rooney| first3=Alan D.| last4=Sharma| first4=Mukul| last5=Tosca| first5=Nicholas| pmc=5489269| pmid=28782008| bibcode=2017SciA....3E0095C}}