Research about a 3.7 billion years old fossil, found in the Isua Greenstone Belt of Greenland, has been recently published. The historian's findings suggest that the whole process of life being formed on Earth is shorter than originally believed.
Fossil Examined For Four Years
Allen P. Nutman, Vickie C. Bennett, Clark R. L. Friend, Martin J. Van Kranendonk and Allan R. Chivas spent four years closely examining the said fossil called stromatolites before they could release the result of their study. According to New York Times, Nutman explained that although they were very excited, they took their time and did not rush it.
They claim that it is the claim that the fossil is the oldest ever found has been a great issue. The age of the said fossil is where the controversy lies within the scienctific community. Apparently, it conflicts with the usual consensus that life on Earth evolved for a much longer period of time. This issue is yet to be debated.
Life Evolved In 100 Years
Apparently, stromatolites are 220 million years older. According to Smithsonianmag.com, if it's being estimated, some scientists assume that the still very young Earth was being rained down by asteroids and comets when the fossils were formed.
Depending on how intense and destructive it might have been, life seemed to be impossible during that period in history. The alternate theory is the fact that stromatolites entered the scene right after the Late Heavy Bombardment period mentioned above. This timeline will make the evolution of life at 100 million years.
Skepticism On The Claim
An issue was raised by Ed Yong of The Atlantic that it is possible that the fossils found were not actual stromatolites. He added that it would be the case if an abiotic process was involved. According to Joel Achenbach of The Washington Post, the radiometric dating used to determine the age of the fossil is not entirely credible. Geobiologist Roger Bruick, from the University of Washington, is also skeptical. He shared with Nature.com that he doesn't believe it until this queries and problems have been addressed.
