The oldest known fragment on Earth? A 4.4 billion year old zircon
John Valley, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Until recently, many people discounted the idea of life on Earth before 3.8 billion years ago, because it was thought to be impossible due to violent asteroid impacts. But as some evidence points to a much older origin for life and people begin to question whether a later violent impact actually occurred, it’s beginning to look like life may have started surprisingly early in Earth’s history.
Earliest fossil evidence – about 3.5 billion years ago
nevertheless…
Source: www.newscientist.com
