UQ Researchers Discover Some Of The Oldest Forms Of Life

The core drilling samples from Western Australia's Pilbara region were collected by PhD student Lawrie Duck who said it was an amazing experience to "hold in your hands rocks that contain remains of some of the earliest forms of life on Earth."

by Staff Writers

Brisbane, Australia (SPX) Aug 08, 2007

University of Queensland researchers have identified microbial remains in some of the oldest preserved organic matter on Earth, confirmed to be 3.5 billion years-old. The UQ team, led by School of Physical Sciences scientists Dr Miryam Glikson and Associate Professor Sue Golding as well as Associate Professor Lindsay Sly from the School of Molecular and Microbial Sciences, are the first to conclusively confirm the nature and source of the organic material.

Aspects of the research have been published in the prestigious scientific journal Precambrian Research. "What we have found is the first visual confirmation of primitive microbial communities in what is considered to be the best preserved ancient organic matter on our planet," Dr Glikson, the instigator of the research, said.

Dr Golding, Director UQ's Stable Isotope Laboratory in the Division of Earth Sciences, said previous studies used indirect analytical methods that were only able to suggest microbial involvement, not confirm it.

"We used difficult and time-consuming electron microscope techniques to conclusively confirm the microbial remains," Dr Golding said.

"The integration of observational and micro-analytical techniques is unique to our approach."

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