These fossils, found in the Pilbara region, provide evidence for the earliest known life on Earth.
The organic matter found in the fossils closely resembles the remnants of biofilms formed by microbe colonies.
Previously, evidence of 3.48 billion-year-old microbes was found in hot spring deposits in the Pilbara, the same age as the crust of Mars. There is evidence that Mars once had hot springs, too, which raises hopes that fossils may one day be found on Mars.
As Earth is about 4.54 billion years old and the oldest rocks are about 3.8 billion years old, these 3.5 billion-year-old fossils are very old indeed.Finding these Australian fossils may also bring us closer, to possibly answering: how did life develop on Earth?
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| Stromatolite (Dresser Formation, Paleoarchean, 3.48 Ga; Normay Mine, North Pole Dome, Pilbara Craton, Western Australia) 1, James St. John |
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