New Case for Oldest Life on Earth

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SUMMARY

Researchers have discovered potential signs of biological activity in ancient Earth rocks dating back nearly 3.5 billion years, utilizing a method previously untested on such old samples. This finding suggests that primordial life forms may have survived by consuming rocks, thriving shortly after the planet underwent multiple sterilization events due to asteroid and comet impacts. Additionally, similar structures have been observed in Martian rocks, although no definitive claims of life on Mars have been established yet.

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Using a method never applied to rock from ancient Earth, researchers have found possible signs of biological activity dating back nearly 3.5 billion years, earlier than any other agreed-upon discovery of life on this planet.

The primordial life appears to have eaten rocks to survive.

Meanwhile, separate work is turning up intriguing similar structures in Mars rocks found on Earth, though no claims of life have yet been made with regard to this ongoing Martian investigation.

If the terrestrial finding is confirmed, it means life was thriving not long after this world had been presumably sterilized several times over by asteroid and comet impacts that were common in the earliest era of the solar system, which is about 4.6 billion years old. [continued]

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/lava_life_040422.html
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Biology news on Phys.org
The primordial life appears to have eaten rocks to survive.

So it appears that the "Never Ending Story" was indeed correct after all!
 

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