SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Scientists have found evidence of microbial life in a fossil dated to 3.7 billion years ago:
Rapid emergence of life shown by discovery of 3,700-million-year-old microbial structures (DOI: 10.1038/nature19355) (DX)
Biological activity is a major factor in Earth's chemical cycles, including facilitating CO2 sequestration and providing climate feedbacks. Thus a key question in Earth's evolution is when did life arise and impact hydrosphere–atmosphere–lithosphere chemical cycles? Until now, evidence for the oldest life on Earth focused on debated stable isotopic signatures of 3,800–3,700 million year (Myr)-old metamorphosed sedimentary rocks and minerals from the Isua supracrustal belt (ISB), southwest Greenland. Here we report evidence for ancient life from a newly exposed outcrop of 3,700-Myr-old metacarbonate rocks in the ISB that contain 1–4-cm-high stromatolites—macroscopically layered structures produced by microbial communities. [...] The ISB stromatolites predate by 220 Myr the previous most convincing and generally accepted multidisciplinary evidence for oldest life remains in the 3,480-Myr-old Dresser Formation of the Pilbara Craton, Australia.
Reported at BBC, Ars Technica, and Reuters.
(Score: 2) by bzipitidoo on Thursday September 01 2016, @06:38PM
Indeed. It's long past time for the US to finish switching to metric. It's messed up to have food ingredients in grams and mg, while serving sizes are in English units. 44g of sugar per 16 fluid ounces, yeah!
Yes, I was also thinking that putting science on sidewalks would bother the Creationists. Wonder how long it'd be before they defaced it, or rolled out their own rival timeline.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 01 2016, @07:20PM
I dunno, your plan here seems to be only to present a narrative. Unless you can go into the evidence, discussion of alternative explanations, etc I don't see how it is any different than pushing creationism.
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Friday September 02 2016, @01:34AM
or rolled out their own rival timeline.
Like the Troll AC modded Flamebait who replied to you with the old "Alternative explanations" nonsense, because apparently you're as bad as a creationist if you don't.