Ocean oddity tells us about early life

摘要

WE MIGHT need to rethink some of the oldest fossils ever found. Structures called stromatolites formed billions of years ago are one of the best records of early life. We assumed they were created by microbes that make food from sunlight. But the discovery of a modem stromatolite that formed in dark water in the deep Arabian Sea calls that into question. "I think this is unique," says Russell Shapiro at California State University, Chico.