THE discovery of ancient fossils in Australia has strengthened the evidence
that life began in “black smokers” deep beneath the sea.
These hydrothermal vents would have been ideal for nurturing life, some
researchers have argued, as they provided a constant supply of nutrients and
were protected from the ultraviolet radiation and asteroids bombarding the
planet’s surface. However, only relatively recent fossils have been found in
rocks associated with vents. Now Birger Rasmussen of the University of Western
Australia, Perth, has found the imprints of what could be thread-like
microorganisms in metal sulphide deposits dating back 3 billion years
(Nature, vol…
