I just got around to looking at the August 16 issue of Science and in it
is an article claiming to have discovered evidence that life existed
3.87 billion years ago. Actual fossils were not found because the rocks
had been strongly metamorphosed by heat and pressure, but graphite particles
in the rocks have a carbon 12 to carbon 13 ratio similar to what is found
in life, not what you would expect to see if you were dealing with inorganic
carbon. If this turns out to be true then life is 400 million years older
that previously thought.
John K Clark johnkc@well.com
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