- Understanding when and where life on Earth first began is something that scientists have been struggling with for a long time.
- The best evidence of the beginning of life comes in the form of molecular signatures in ancient rocks, such as those in the Dresser Creation set in modern-day Australia.
- New research reveals that there are organic molecules in the rock that are estimated to be around 3.5 billion years old.
The Earth is the only known planet that has life, and it is also the only planet we have ever found evidence of a past life. With that in mind, you will understand how important it is for scientists to have a good understanding of how life began on our planet, as it would provide a basis for exploring the origins of life on another world as well.
The Australian Dresser Form – an ancient piece of Earth’s crust exposed to the surface in the northwestern part of the continent – has given scientists evidence of the earliest life on Earth. Now, researchers studying a 3.5 billion-year-old slab of the creation believe they have discovered chemical names that are largely the building blocks of life.
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In a new study published in Nature Communication, researchers report that “organic molecules and gases” have been found in rock samples estimated to be 3.5 billion years old. These rocks, called barites, may claim to contain some of the earliest microbial life forms on our planet, and at least provide supporting evidence. for the idea that life on Earth began at a very small scale.
In the field, the barites are directly attached to fossil microbial mats, and smell like rotten eggs when re-scraped, ”said Dr. Helge Missbach, from the Institute of Geology and Mineralogy at the University of Cologne, and lead author of the study, said in a statement. “Therefore, we suspected that they contained organic matter which could be nutrients for the early life of microbes. ”
It is very difficult to find evidence of the earliest life forms on Earth for a few reasons. For starters, microbes don’t leave fossils behind, at least in the traditional sense. These tiny organisms are largely erased from the fossil record when they die, so researchers need to look for other things to identify their presence. Sometimes organic fertilizers that can be food or waste are the best evidence we can hope for.
The search and discovery itself is not just a smoke gun, but it is very interesting and potentially meaningful in the wider effort to gain a better understanding of how life began on Earth. In the years to come, we may have an even better understanding of where life on our planet first appeared, and what specific conditions allowed it to form.
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Mike Wehner has been reporting on technology and video games for the past decade, covering breaking news and trends in VR, wearables, smartphones, and the future of tech. Mike was most recently a Tech Editor at The Daily Dot, and has appeared in USA Today, Time.com, and in countless web and print outlets. His love of narrating only second place on his game thesis.