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Palaeontology (Communication arising)

Thermal alteration of the Earth's oldest fossils

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Abstract

Microscopic carbonaceous structures found in ancient rocks could provide clues to early life on Earth if they turn out to be genuine fossil microorganisms. Here we show that thermal alteration of microbial remains embedded in a mineral matrix may significantly change their original morphology and produce structures that resemble those of what are claimed to be the Earth's oldest fossils1. These observations may shed light on the controversy2,3 that surrounds these microfossils from the 3,465-Myr-old Apex Chert of the early Archaean Warrawoona Group in northwestern Australia.

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Figure 1: Light micrographs of mats of modern and early Silurian coccoid cyanobacteria.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Paleobiology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warszawa, 00818, Poland

    Józef Kazmierczak & Barbara Kremer

Authors
  1. Józef Kazmierczak
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  2. Barbara Kremer
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Kazmierczak, J., Kremer, B. Thermal alteration of the Earth's oldest fossils. Nature 420, 477–478 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/420477b

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