The earliest morphological traces of life on Earth are often highly controversial, both because non-biological processes can produce relatively similar structures and because such fossils have often been subjected to advanced alteration and metamorphism. Stromatolites, layered organo-sedimentary structures reflecting complex interplays between microbial communities and their environment, have long been considered key macrofossils for life detection in ancient sedimentary rocks; however, the biological origin of ancient stromatolites has frequently been criticized. An article released Friday in the Geological Society of America journal Geology uses a range of advanced two- and three-dimensional analytical techniques to establish the biological origins of Earth's oldest stromatolites from the 3.48-billion-year-old Dresser Formation, Pilbara, Western Australia.
Washington [US], October 15 (ANI): A new research has shed light on one of the reasons why animal evolution accelerated millions of years ago and according to scientists it is the wild fluctuations in the oxygen levels a billion years ago that could be held responsible.
Washington [US], October 15 (ANI): According to new research, oxygen levels in the Earth's atmosphere are likely to have "fluctuated wildly" one billion years ago, creating conditions that could have accelerated the development of early animal life.
Washington [US], September 24 (ANI): Paleontologists have identified a new genus and species of algae called Protocodium sinense which predates the origin of land plants and modern animals and provides new insight into the early diversification of the plant kingdom. Discovered at a site in China, this 541-million-year-old fossil is the first and oldest green alga from this era to be preserved in three dimensions, enabling the researchers to investigate its internal structure and identify the new specimen with unprecedented accuracy.
\
\
\
\
\
\
\
\
