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Why It’s So Difficult to Find Earth’s Earliest Life | Science| Smithsonian Magazine

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Debate over Earth’s oldest fossils fuels the search for our deepest origins

Stromatolites at Lake Thetis, Western Australia Wiki Commons / Ruth Ellison The search for signs of Earth’s earliest forms of life isn’t quite like looking for dinosaur bones protruding out from desert outcrops. The oldest species on our planet were microscopic, nothing more than itty-bitty specks. Detecting them, and verifying their identity, is a complicated task that often relies not only hunting town tiny remains but also on chemistry and perceiving how those microorganisms modified their environments. “Every time I have ever told anyone I look for fossils, I then have to follow up that I’

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