3.7 Billion-Year-Old Fossils Could Be World’s Oldest
- 8 years ago
Scientists have long wondered when life began on Earth. The oldest fossil evidence had previously been dated to around 3.5 billion years, but a more recent discovery could set that timeline back by another 220 million years.
Scientists have long wondered when life began on Earth.
The oldest fossil evidence had previously been dated to around 3.5 billion years, but a more recent discovery could set that timeline back by another 220 million years.
The initial find was made about four years ago in rocks from an area called the Isua supracrustal belt in southwest Greenland.
According to New Scientist, a team of researchers led by Allen Nutman from the University of Wollongong in Australia eventually determined that the structures appear to indicate the prior existence of 3.7 billion-year-old marine microbes which they believe resemble modern stromatolites.
Clark Friend, co-author of the study, argues that the research pushes “...the discovery of life earlier in Earth’s history.”
He also questions the implications for extraterrestrial life, as the approximate date aligns with a time when Mars may have been wet.
However, critics have pointed out that none of the microbes themselves have been preserved and that additional research needs to be done to rule out interference from other geological processes.
Scientists have long wondered when life began on Earth.
The oldest fossil evidence had previously been dated to around 3.5 billion years, but a more recent discovery could set that timeline back by another 220 million years.
The initial find was made about four years ago in rocks from an area called the Isua supracrustal belt in southwest Greenland.
According to New Scientist, a team of researchers led by Allen Nutman from the University of Wollongong in Australia eventually determined that the structures appear to indicate the prior existence of 3.7 billion-year-old marine microbes which they believe resemble modern stromatolites.
Clark Friend, co-author of the study, argues that the research pushes “...the discovery of life earlier in Earth’s history.”
He also questions the implications for extraterrestrial life, as the approximate date aligns with a time when Mars may have been wet.
However, critics have pointed out that none of the microbes themselves have been preserved and that additional research needs to be done to rule out interference from other geological processes.