Oldest-ever fossils show life existed on Earth at its infancy stat : RT

Ancient fossils discovered in Canada are "direct evidence" that life existed on Earth 4 billion years ago, scientists wrote in a newly-released study, believing the emergence of life could be simple enough to begin on other planets. The discovery has led scientists to believe that life was present during the infancy of the planet, which is thought to be around 4.57 billion years old. They concluded that the presence of two minerals in particular – apatite and carbonite – provide strong evidence for life. "If life happened so quickly on Earth, then could we expect it to be a simple process that could start on other planets?" he said. The possibility that the microfossils were formed by temperature and pressure changes as the sediment formed were also examined and excluded.




Newfound 3.77-billion-year-old fossils could be earliest evidence of life on EarthPhoto: Matthew Dodd, HONS This microscope image made available by Matthew Dodd shows tiny... Tiny, tubular structures uncovered in ancient Canadian rocks could be remnants of some of the earliest life on Earth, scientists say.


If the fossils are indeed 4.28 billion years old, that would suggest "an almost instantaneous emergence of life" after ocean formation, Dodd said. The fossils appear to be older than any other previously discovered evidence of life. "This is important for the origin of life," said study researcher Dominic Papineau, a University College London astrobiologist. "Understanding how and when life began on Earth helps answer the long-standing questions: Where do we come from? The researchers expressed confidence the fossils from northeastern Canada were formed by organisms, saying no non-biological explanation was plausible.



collected by :Lucy William

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