Bacteria more than three billion years old hide in the cave

Fossils in Africa show that the ancient bacteria have found deadly UV-hiding rocks in the Taihu era when life began to form on Earth.

According to New Scientist, from 2.5 to 4 billion years ago, the Earth suffered from high-intensity, unburnt UV-protection UV rays, like Mars today.

Therefore, to survive on the surface of the earth is a great challenge for the species. Some of Earth's oldest fossil cells , dated to about 3.43 billion years, are thought to live on sand grains in shallow water or be covered with other sandstones by UV light.

Bacteria fossil in the cave in Africa.(Photo: New Scientist).

At the Barberton Green Stone Belt in South Africa - an area of ​​ancient volcanoes that rises to the ground, has thin layers of stone covered with 3.22 billion years old microbial carpet - the microbial carpet that often appears and covers the region. tidal flats.

These are rod-shaped bacteria that grow into long filaments like many bacteria today.

"Their shape is quite similar," research co-author Alessandro Airo said. He and his colleague, lead author Martin Homann at Free University in Berlin, Germany, analyzed the fossil record and published a report on November 16 on the American Geological Society website.

"It seems that at the time, they were able to control biochemistry in diameter and length, making chain connections. That's what modern bacteria are doing."

Earlier, Birger Rasmussen of Curtin University announced the discovery of rock bacteria in the 2.7-billion-year-old sediment in Australia.

"This is an interesting finding. It has pushed back the record of finding life on ancient Earth for another 500 million years , " Rasmussen said.

Simulate the hot surface of the ancient Earth.(Artwork: NASA).

According to Airo, Earth's atmosphere and UV radiation more than 3 billion years ago are very similar to Mars today. Finding out how life survives through that period will give people clues about potential life on Mars, and the direction to discover it.

"Research shows that in the very place near the planet's surface, life can exist , " Airo said. "So bacteria can thrive right on the surface of Mars, not necessarily in deep water or in the ground."