New research on a fist-sized rock found in Quebec suggests life on Earth began 300 million years earlier than previously thought.
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At the time, some in the scientific community disagreed that structures found inside the rock were biological in nature, and therefore not a sign of early life. Using various microscopes, as well as a supercomputer to create 3D models of the rock's structures, the researchers confirmed that they were wavy in shape and contained organic carbon, which are characteristics of iron-eating microbes.
Researchers also used the imaging to find a centimetre-long stem with parallel branches on one side. The team of researchers said that while some of the structures found in the rock could have been created through chemical reactions, the stem was most likely biological in origin.in a press releasePrior to this finding, the next-oldest biological sample of early life was found in Australia and determined to be about 3.
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