Speaking of Science 3.7-billion-year-old fossils may be the oldest signs of life on E

Scientists probing a newly exposed, formerly snow-covered outcropping in Greenland claim they have discovered the oldest fossils ever seen, the remnants of microbial mats that lived 3.7 billion years ago.

It's a stunning announcement in a scientific field that is always contentious. But if confirmed, this would push the established fossil record more than 200 million years deeper into the Earth’s early history, and provide support for the view that life appeared very soon after the Earth formed and may be commonplace throughout the universe.

A team of Australian geologists announced their discovery in a paper titled “Rapid emergence of life shown by discovery of 3,700-million-year-old microbial structures,” published Wednesday in Nature.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...ils-may-be-the-oldest-signs-of-life-on-earth/

Re: Speaking of Science 3.7-billion-year-old fossils may be the oldest signs of life

Wow...Satan's working very hard to mislead the non-believers.

Re: Speaking of Science 3.7-billion-year-old fossils may be the oldest signs of life

Dragonfly said:

Wow...Satan's working very hard to mislead the non-believers.

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Possibly doing more to upset the Warmers.

What it really shows is nothing is absolute.

Re: Speaking of Science 3.7-billion-year-old fossils may be the oldest signs of life

Why would a "formerly snow-covered" outcropping annoy anyone but deniers?

Re: Speaking of Science 3.7-billion-year-old fossils may be the oldest signs of life

Manc Skipper said:

Why would a "formerly snow-covered" outcropping annoy anyone but deniers?

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Because it's called GREENLAND for a reason.

Re: Speaking of Science 3.7-billion-year-old fossils may be the oldest signs of life

WCH said:

Because it's called GREENLAND for a reason.

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To throw off the marauding hordes of thieves and conquerors of ancient yore?

Re: Speaking of Science 3.7-billion-year-old fossils may be the oldest signs of life

Dragonfly said:

To throw off the marauding hordes of thieves and conquerors of ancient yore?

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I read somewhere that Erik The Red named it in order to attract settlers.

Re: Speaking of Science 3.7-billion-year-old fossils may be the oldest signs of life

zyzygy said:

I read somewhere that Erik The Red named it in order to attract settlers.

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Iceland is green, but named Iceland to confuse the hordes.
Greenland is ice, and named Green to confuse the hordes.

could be urban legend....

Re: Speaking of Science 3.7-billion-year-old fossils may be the oldest signs of life

The point not to be overlooked is that microbial mats are relatively advanced life forms. Bacteria living in colonies took time to develop from earlier independent organisms.

Re: Speaking of Science 3.7-billion-year-old fossils may be the oldest signs of life

Russell797 said:

The point not to be overlooked is that microbial mats are relatively advanced life forms. Bacteria living in colonies took time to develop from earlier independent organisms.

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Aliens or God brought them here.

Re: Speaking of Science 3.7-billion-year-old fossils may be the oldest signs of life

WCH said:

Aliens or God brought them here.

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Maybe we're the galactic equivalent of leaving food in the fridge for too long.

"Oh for Blorgath's sake, Xynfhirhial, how old is this bread? It's developing rudimentary fusion generators!"

Re: Speaking of Science 3.7-billion-year-old fossils may be the oldest signs of life

WCH said:

Aliens or God brought them here.

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Or comets.