'Oldest fossils' found in Pilbara

au.news.yahoo.com...

Fossils unearthed in the Pilbara could trigger a search for ancient life on other planets.

According to a report in The Washington Post yesterday, scientists analysing Australian rocks have discovered traces of bacteria that lived a record-breaking 3.5 billion years ago – a billion years after the Earth was formed.

Old Dominion University biogeochemist Nora Noffke said the traces of bacteria were the oldest fossils ever described.

“Those are our oldest ancestors," Dr Noffke told a meeting of the Geological Society of America.

The Washington Post that unlike dinosaur bones, the newly identified fossils were not petrified body parts.

They are textures on the surfaces of sandstone thought to be sculpted by once-living organisms, Dr Noffke said.

Similar patterns decorate parts of Tunisia’s coast, created by thick mats of bacteria that trap and glue together sand particles. Sand that is stuck to the land beneath the mats and thus protected from erosion can over time turn into rock that can long outlast the living organisms above it, according to The Washington Post article.

The ancient Pilbara region was once shoreline and rocks made from sediment piled up billions of years ago are now exposed and available for examination.

I once lived in a Place called Kununurra for a number of years. It's in the Kimberley region just up from the Pilbara. It too has vast areas of rocky sedimentry rock. As well as all the great rock art and fantastic surroundings you could climb to the top of these rock outcrops (that was once the sea bed) and find shells, starfish fossils and large areas of reef and you are 1000's of miles from water let alone the sea!

A truely fantastic area. I knew it would only be a matter of time until they found something really significant!

Originally posted by CaptainBeno
According to a report in The Washington Post
The Washington Post
according to The Washington Post article.
told The Washington Post
told The Washington Post
according to The Washington Post.

So, for the sake of primary sources, here is that original article that the local media copied parts from...
Link

This is quite significant in my opinion, and very exciting. I cannot be sure if there is any doubt regarding the identification of these bacteria, or the origins and age, although these scientists seem to be fairly confident, leading me to believe they are certain about what they have discovered. Bacteria are relatively simple forms of life, but they are life nonetheless, and this find shows us that life developed less than one billion years after the earth was created.

I agree that this could have implications regarding life on other planets as well. At the very least, sedimentary formations that are similar to those in Australia could be targeted on other worlds that are similar to earth. Of course without liquid water many scientists doubt that life would have ever developed, although I disagree with this statement. I see no problem with the idea that life could find a way to thrive without water, although this life probably would not resemble the life we are used to seeing on earth.

reply to post by alfa1


Thanks for your link, I'll try harder next time.

reply to post by JiggyPotamus


Yes agreed. However Water NOW seems to be abundant throughout! So here's keeping my fingers crossed.

I too have lived in Kununurra. Discoveries like this don’t surprise me! I think it is the oldest land mass in the world, and the flattest. There was once giant kangaroos and wombats way back when. I’d hate for that gas mining project to get the go ahead on the Kimberly coast line. I’m sure there’s all sorts of weird and wonderful things hidden in the Pilbara and Kimberly waiting to be discovered.

I once lived in Kalgoorlie and I love that part of the world. It is so ol you can feel it. I once found on the side of the road an aboriginal spearhead that was at least 10,000 years old they say.

Thanks for the post and reminding me of what I miss in my life......

reply to post by BlindBastards


Hey! G'day!

Yeah you're right, seems every step I took on my walks would kick up something new! I kept on thinking to myself even back then "Surely I'm not the first to see this" although it felt like it (objects not disturbed since water receded ) I felt privileged to see these things for the first time.

Nice to meet someone else who "survived" Kunners

reply to post by magma


Great! Isn't it amazing when something like that happens?

I was shown an area just outside Kununurra that was literlaly an aboriginal camp that had been there for 15 to 20,000 years. It looked like they were there yesterday, I was very lucky to see this.

Everywhere was strewn with flint and round grinding stones including the base stones that things were ground on. Hundreds of paintings surounded me in over hangs in the rock. It was like a film set.

I just sat in absolute wonder and amazement.

I, like you had "that feeling"

I miss going bush.

reply to post by CaptainBeno


I do not believe there is anywhere else in the world where you can walk around and pick up gold off the ground without using a metal detector. That to me is pretty amazing times right there.

My theory is that tectonic movement caused seaside cities to be pulled inland. They now lie on top of mountains. Puma-Punku is a perfect example. It used to have piers to dock ships.

It still amazes how much we don't know about our own "home". I've always felt we should put most of our effort in to solving our past instead of destroying our future. Though I'm sure that has already been said many times before me. I read somewhere that they have only discovered roughly 10% of species on Earth today, that number (though an estimate) amazes me. We're so busy looking up into the stars that we ignore what is beneath us, what holds the answers.

I realize that may sound jumbled, but my brain works in a strange way. If you don't quite understand my line of thought just let me know and I will try to clear it up for you.

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Johnny

Insanity, science can't tell us what happened 100 years ago, now we can tell with certainity something is a billion years old BUNK

reply to post by JohnnyAnonymous


Wow! Humbled, thank you

reply to post by DOLCOTT


What do you mean science can't tell us what happened 100 years ago? An example perhaps?

And this is a cool find. From my cursury reading of the article....they found the results of the bacteria, right? Not like actual bacteria?

Honestly, no-one should be surprised at this. I know some people may have difficulty with this thought, but there was probably life BEFORE the earth existed

Star, flag, and bump

I had just started a thread on this in another forum and have been notified that you beat me to the punch but great find OP since I was very excited to come across this news.

Some may find this discovery to be insignificant, or try and dispute it, but I find it to be very important nonetheless.

The more of our past that is uncovered is certainly a good thing.

reply to post by Corruption Exposed


Thank you very much!

I find it absolutely amazing to be honest.

Having been able to walk amongst the stuff myself, I could easily see news like this appearing one day.........and Pow! Here it is!

Seriously, this is big news.

according to my stone book,

(679.9) 59:4.16
>>230,000,000 years ago>the atmosphere was becoming enriched with oxygen.>340,000,000 years ago there occurred another extensive land sinking except in Asia and Australia.