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Life

Traces of ancient life reveal a 3.4-billion-year-old ecosystem

Chemical analysis of rocks found in South Africa shows that ancient microorganisms sustained themselves in a variety of ways, adding to evidence for an early origin of life on Earth

By Michael Marshall

22 January 2024

A sample of chert rock containing what may be the remains of microorganisms that lived 3.4 billion years ago

Dr. Manuel Reinhardt

As early as 3.4 billion years ago, life on Earth had formed diverse communities. Exceptionally preserved remains from the period reveal an ecosystem of microorganisms that sustained themselves in a range of ways.

The complexity of the ecosystem suggests life had already existed for hundreds of millions of years and began early in Earth’s history.

Read more

A radical new theory rewrites the story of how life on Earth began

Manuel Reinhardt…

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