Researchers: Bacteria fossils predate the origin of oxygen
From Melanie Schefft at University of Cincinnati Magazine: UC geologist uncovers 2.5 billion-year-old fossils of bacteria that predate the formation of oxygen. They are sulfur-oxidizing bacteria. The 2.52 billion-year-old sulfur-oxidizing bacteria are described by Czaja as exceptionally large, spherical-shaped, smooth-walled microscopic structures much larger than most modern bacteria, but similar to some modern single-celled organisms that live in deepwater sulfur-rich ocean settings today, where even now there are almost no traces of oxygen. In his research published in the December issue of the journal Geology of the Geological Society of America, Czaja and his colleagues Nicolas Beukes from the University of Johannesburg and Jeffrey Osterhout, a recently graduated master’s student from UC’s department of geology, reveal samples of bacteria that Read More ›