The statements saying that this may be a sample of Edicarian fauna are pretty speculative. From the original paper:
> We are aware that the similarities to some of the Ediacaran forms may be independent responses to the same environmental necessities, rather than being evidence of homology.
They found similarities between this and some Ediacaran fossils, but that does not mean that they are related. There are other extant animals with similarities to some Ediacaran specimens with no relation between them.
The speculation can be falsified by analyzing this creatures' DNA and find at which point it diverged from other known life. I hope that is possible!
The speculation can be falsified by analyzing this creatures' DNA and find at which point it diverged from other known life. I hope that is possible!
According to the article, due to the way they were preserved that's sadly not an option with the current samples. They would have to catch new specimen first.
I think guard-of-terra was just expressing a general wish, no necessarily in relation to the mushrooms. Ediacara are so alien and weird - finding a living specimen would be super cool.
