The structures hidden in newly discovered fossils may provide important information about how life as we know it today emerged.
To explain life on earth, from photosynthesis It needs to be mentioned. This process, in which plants and some other life forms produce oxygen by using carbon dioxide and solar energy in the atmosphere, is of great importance in the emergence of the species we know today. In a new study, the oldest fossil related to photosynthesis discovered to date was found. This fossil is 1.75 billion years old.
Researchers discovered 1.75 billion years old These structures belong to a species whose scientific name is Navifusa majensis. Scientists think this species is a type of cyanobacteria. Cyanobacteria are a type of bacteria that decompose water into ions and produce oxygen in photosynthesis, living in rocks and water all over the world, especially in humid regions. The fossils found by the researchers were located in the north of Australia.
The oldest known photosynthetic structure
The detection of this ancient bacterium one of the most fundamental processes of life on Earth It will provide new information to scientists about understanding how it emerged. Thus, it will be possible to verify or falsify the developed theories.
According to theories, the beginning of photosynthesis 2.7 billion to 2 billion It starts about a year ago. In order to perform photosynthesis, bacteria must have a membrane system called thylakoid. This structure is aligned on the major axis of the organelle called chloroplast, which makes photosynthesis possible. Thanks to the fossils found, the details of this process will be understood more clearly, and the evolutionary mechanisms that gave rise to chloroplasts will be examined in more detail.
Source :
https://gizmodo.com/1-75-billion-year-old-fossils-are-oldest-record-of-oxyg-1851137333