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Yeast-like microfossils detected in oldest sediments of the earth

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Abstract

A microfossil named Ramsaysphaera has been identified in the ca. 3400-million-year-old Swartkoppie chert of South Africa. Ramsaysphaera closely resembles in size, shape and all preserved structural details, asporogenous yeasts which have been subjected to dehydration. A similar microfossil called Isuasphaera was recently detected in cherty layers of the ca. 3800-million-year-old Isua quartzite in. SW-Greenland. With the known data about the early earth, the question arises, when and where life originated and by what principles early evolution was ruled.

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Pflug, H.D. Yeast-like microfossils detected in oldest sediments of the earth. Naturwissenschaften 65, 611–615 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00401904

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