The oldest evidence of life on Earth has been found

Layered rocks of Western Australia may be the earliest known evidence of life on Earth, according to a new study.

The researchers think the rocks they studied were formed from the feces of microscopic photosynthetic creatures.

According to the Independent Turkish report Scientists call this type of layered rock “stromatolite”. The oldest stromatolites, which the scientific world has definitively determined to have been formed by living organisms, date back to 3.43 billion years ago. But there are also older examples. Because the rocks in Western Australia’s Dresser Formation examined in this study are 3.48 billion years old.

On the other hand, billions of years have erased traces of organic matter in these ancient rocks. For this reason, there was debate whether it was really formed by living organisms or whether it emerged as a result of other geological processes.

HIGH RESOLUTION IMAGE TECHNIQUES ARE USED

The new research, published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Geology, suggests they were indeed created by living organisms.

The research team at the Natural History Museum in London, UK used high-resolution, two- and three-dimensional imaging techniques to examine these stromatolite layers in detail.

The signs observed were indicative of biological growth. Layers containing small dome shapes have been detected, indicative of photosynthesis.

“We have found specific microstructures in some layers of these rocks that are a strong indicator of biological processes,” said paleontologist Keyron Hickman-Lewis, one of the research team.

One of the most important clues about living organisms was the irregularity of the layers.

Linda Kah, a US geochemist who reviewed the study’s results, said: “The shells of microscopic organisms have layers of irregular thickness and directed up or down, which tend to be wrinkled or wrinkled.”

The research team says their discoveries on rocks in Australia could also offer clues to the search for life on Mars.

The rocks studied were covered in iron oxide, produced by the reaction of iron with oxygen. This chemical reaction is also known to have occurred on the surface of Mars, and the planet also got its reddish color from this process.

Researchers think rocks on the Red Planet may also retain similar structures left by microscopic creatures believed to have existed billions of years ago.

Thus, examining similar rock formations on Mars could provide evidence that ancient life existed on the planet.