2023-12-18 15:40:46
Prepared by: Mustafa Al-Zoubi
Scientists have discovered a hidden ecosystem with a number of lakes in the salt plains of Puna de Atacama, an arid plateau in Argentina with giant stromatolites, which will provide a glimpse into early life on Earth.
Stromatolites are “layered rocks that arise from the growth of blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria, through the process of photosynthesis.” These structures are considered one of the oldest ecosystems on Earth, according to NASA, and represent the oldest fossil evidence of life on our planet, 3.5 billion years old. She went on.
“They certainly resemble some of the oldest large fossils on our planet,” said Brian Hynek, a professor in the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder, who helped document these fossils. “They are actually a rare type of environment on modern Earth, and a window into the distant past to see what was It was life 3.5 billion years ago on our planet.
Unlike modern stromatolites, the ancient ones grew during a period when the atmosphere lacked oxygen. In these conditions, stromatolite microbes used anoxygenic photosynthesis, which does not require oxygen, to convert light energy into compounds that support living cells.
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