Creatures Lived On Land 2.2 Billion Years Ago, New Evidence Suggests
Diskagma buttonii Fossils found in South African soil suggest evidence of life 2.2 billion years ago. courtesy of Gregory Retallack South African fossils push the rise of oxygen and life on land to millions of years earlier than previously thought. Researchers at the University of Oregon have recently unearthed fossils in South Africa that present evidence of life on land 2.2 billion years ago-four times older than traditionally thought. The fossilized organisms, dubbed Diskagma buttonii, are no bigger than the size of a standard match head and were found threaded together in bunches. Though researchers are still unsure as to their biological function, the organisms most closely resemble a modern fungus called Geosiphon. The team believes Diskagma could be the oldest known eukaryote, a cellular organism containing a nucleus. The results of the study, led by geologist Gregory J. Retallack, provide new insight into the development of Earth's atmosphere. Examining the fossils...