Australian scientists discovered possible evidence of life on Earth 4.2 billion years ago, reports ABC Science
Dr. Alexander Nemchin and colleagues from Curtin University in Western Australia published their findings in a new issue of the journal Nature.
The researchers analyzed the carbon isotopes contained in diamonds formed in zircon crystals 4.2 billion years ago.
According to the content of various isotopes, one can assume their organic or inorganic origin. So, for example, plants prefer to collect the isotope carbon-12 and avoid carbon-13. The found diamonds contained significantly more carbon-12 than the heavier carbon-13. According to scientists, this indicates the organic origin of carbon through a process similar to photosynthesis.
Considering the age of the find, this is the oldest evidence of the existence of life on Earth. Until now, the 3.5 billion-year-old stromatolite found in the same Western Australia held the palm in this sense.
Quite interesting conclusions can be drawn from this find. The fact is that about 3.8 billion years ago, the Earth was massively bombarded by meteorites. Presumably, it was as a result of these collisions that the Moon appeared. If life existed before and after the cataclysm, then it was either able to survive this most difficult time, or life on our planet was born more than once.