Found the oldest fossil on Earth

Microbial fossils in small rocks excavated in Western Australia are up to 3.4 billion years old; may be the first evidence of life on Earth.

The multinational team analyzed small rocks that were excavated five years ago, in the Strelley Pool, Pilbara (Western Australia).

In a recent paper published in the scientific journal Geochemical Perspectives Letters, they claim to have identified fossilized rock microorganisms that date to 3.4 billion years old, the oldest fossil ever recorded. discoverer.

Ancient fossils in Western Australia are observed through a microscope - (images provided by the research team).

The study captures the remaining chemical signs on fossils and reveals many amazing things about life on the early Earth. Dr. Julien Alleon of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a member of the research team, said these organisms survived an extremely harsh period, when the Earth's temperature reached 300 degrees Celsius.

Scientists consider it the "chaos" of the Earth. At that time, many indispensable substances for life today like oxygen and ozone have not yet been formed. However, it is possible that extreme hot weather is one of the factors that stimulates the formation of primitive life forms.

The most primitive microorganisms are single-celled organisms or prokaryotes . They are still very far from primitive plants: the only cells of these ancient bacteria are incomplete, without nuclei or mitochondria, unable to breathe or photosynthesize.

This early life form existed for many years in Earth's history. Scientists have compared this new fossil to the fossils dating back to 1.9 billion years ago, once discovered in Canada, and found them the same type.

Earlier, the oldest fossil was discovered as a microbiological carpet excavated in South Africa several decades ago. An article published in Nature Geoscience at the end of July 2016 reported that the South African biotic carpet dates back to 3.22 billion years.

Some of the chemical evidence in places thought to be the cradle of life on Earth helps scientists build up the hypothesis that the first signs of life on Earth could appear from 4.1 billion years. before. However, so far, there is no clear evidence yet. The fossil in Western Australia mentioned above is the oldest fossil that has undergone a rigorous testing process to determine it is truly primitive life proof.