Oldest fossil evidence of life on Earth found. Here's where

Rock with stromatolites, tiny layered structures from 3.7 billion years ago that are remnants from a community of microbes that used to live there. -- Allen Nutman, University of Wollongong

Thursday, September 1, 2016, 3:26 PM - Scientists have found what they believe is the earliest fossil evidence of life on Earth in 3.7 billion-year-old rocks in Greenland.

The team of researchers say the rocks located at the Isua Greenstone Belt, were covered with ice and snow, which melted after an unusually warm spring. The rocks contain evidence of water-based bacterial colonies known as stromatolites and once confirmed, the findings could pre-date the previous oldest fossil containing the first origins of life by 220 million years. Prior to the Greenland findings, fossil stromatolites dating 3.48 billion years old were found in the Pilbara region in Western Australia.

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"This indicates that as long as 3.7 billion years ago, microbial life was already diverse," lead researcher Allen Nutman from the University of Wollongong in Australia told Science Alert. "This diversity shows that life emerged within the first few hundred millions years of Earth's existence, which is in keeping with biologists' calculations showing the great antiquity of life's genetic code."

Nutman and his team pinpoint the Hadean stage of our planet's history as the start of life on Earth. They believe this to be the case based on the time required to form organisms associated with stromatolites.

The scientists plan on returning to the site to find any supporting evidence as there are some conflicting views on the findings.

SOURCE: Science Alert | Nature

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