Oldest known archaea microbes? (Barberton greenstone belt, South Africa)

[Oxytropidoceras]

3.42-billion-year-old fossil threads may be the oldest

known archaea microbes. The structure and chemistry 

of the filaments hints that they may be ancient cells. 

By Carolyn Wilke, Science News, July 26, 2021

 

Cavalazzi, B., Lemelle, L., Simionovici, A., Cady, S.L., 

Russell, M.J., Bailo, E., Canteri, R., Enrico, E., Manceau, 

A., Maris, A. and Salomé, M., 2021. Cellular remains in

a~ 3.42-billion-year-old subseafloor hydrothermal

environment. Science Advances, 7(29), p.eabf3963.

 

Yours,

 

Paul H.