The oldest fossils ever found are &quot;direct evidence&quot; of life on Earth 3.8 to 4.3 billion years ago, researchers reported ON Wednesday in the journal Nature.

Even at the lower end of the spectrum, &quot;the microfossils we discovered are about 300 million years older&quot; than any runners-up, said Dominic Papineau, a professor at University College London who made the discovery.

The fact that life kick-started not long after Earth formed suggests it could also emerge on watery worlds outside our Solar System at comparable stages of formation, the scientists said.

&quot;If life happened so quickly on Earth, then could we expect it to be a simple process that could start on other planets?&quot;, asked lead author Matthew Dodd, a graduate student at the London Centre for Nanotechnology.

Earth and Mars had liquid water on their surfaces at the same time, he noted.

&quot;We could expect to find evidence for past life on Mars four billion years ago,&quot; Dodd said.

It may also be true, he added, that Earth was &quot;just a special case&quot;.

The tiny fossils -- half the width of a human hair and up to half-a-millimetre in length -- take the form of blood-red tubes and filaments formed by ocean-dwelling bacteria that fed on iron.

Locked inside white, flower-like quartz structures known to harbour fossils, they were found along what were once warm-water vents on the ocean floor, most often in deep waters.

Such iron-rich, hydrothermal systems exist today&nbsp;and are home to bacteria that may be similar to those unearthed by Dodd and his colleagues.

Known as the Nuvvuagittuq Supracrustal Belt, the site of the discovery contains some of the oldest sedimentary rocks known on Earth.&nbsp;

Strong evidence of life

They formed between 3.77 and 4.29 billion years ago&nbsp;and may have been the habitat for the planet&#39;s first life forms.

It is still not known when, or where, life on Earth began, but these deep-sea vents are seen as a good candidate.

Earth is thought to be about 4.57 billion years old.

Previous claims of super-ancient fossils have been challenged by scientists asking whether they are, in fact, natural mineral formations of some kind.

&quot;One of the big questions when it comes to early life studies is whether or not the organic carbon we find in these rocks is actually biological in origin,&quot; explained Dodd.

(AFP)

Lead author Matthew Dodd of 'Nature' said we could also expect to find evidence for past life on Mars four billion years ago

The oldest fossils ever found are "direct evidence" of life on Earth 3.8 to 4.3 billion years ago, researchers reported ON Wednesday in the journal Nature. Even at the lower end of the spectrum, "the microfossils we discovered are about 300 million years older" than any runners-up, said Dominic Papineau, a professor at University College London who made the discovery. The fact that life kick-started not long after Earth formed suggests it could also emerge on watery worlds outside our Solar System at comparable stages of formation, the scientists said. "If life happened so quickly on Earth, then could we expect it to be a simple process that could start on other planets?", asked lead author Matthew Dodd, a graduate student at the London Centre for Nanotechnology. Earth and Mars had liquid water on their surfaces at the same time, he noted. "We could expect to find evidence for past life on Mars four billion years ago," Dodd said. It may also be true, he added, that Earth was "just a special case". The tiny fossils -- half the width of a human hair and up to half-a-millimetre in length -- take the form of blood-red tubes and filaments formed by ocean-dwelling bacteria that fed on iron. Locked inside white, flower-like quartz structures known to harbour fossils, they were found along what were once warm-water vents on the ocean floor, most often in deep waters. Such iron-rich, hydrothermal systems exist today and are home to bacteria that may be similar to those unearthed by Dodd and his colleagues. Known as the Nuvvuagittuq Supracrustal Belt, the site of the discovery contains some of the oldest sedimentary rocks known on Earth. Strong evidence of life They formed between 3.77 and 4.29 billion years ago and may have been the habitat for the planet's first life forms. It is still not known when, or where, life on Earth began, but these deep-sea vents are seen as a good candidate. Earth is thought to be about 4.57 billion years old. Previous claims of super-ancient fossils have been challenged by scientists asking whether they are, in fact, natural mineral formations of some kind. "One of the big questions when it comes to early life studies is whether or not the organic carbon we find in these rocks is actually biological in origin," explained Dodd. (AFP)

Oldest fossils point to life on Earth about 4 billion years ago

When it comes to volcanoes, silence can say a lot. 
 
A team of researchers has found that volcanoes go lull before they erupt - a finding that could give scientists a leg up on predicting blow-ups and saving lives.

When dormant volcanoes are about to erupt, they show some predictive characteristics, but until now, there has not been a way to forecast eruptions of more restless volcanoes because of the constant seismic activity and gas and steam emissions.

Carnegie volcanologist Diana Roman, working with a team of scientists from Penn State, Oxford University, the University of Iceland, and INETER, has shown that periods of seismic quiet occur immediately before eruptions, and can thus be used to forecast an impending eruption for restless volcanoes. The duration of the silence can indicate the level of energy that will be released when eruption occurs.&nbsp;Longer quiet periods mean a bigger bang.

The team monitored a sequence of eruptions at the Telica Volcano in Nicaragua in 2011.

It is a so-called stratovolcano, with a classic-looking cone built up by many layers of lava and ash. They started monitoring Telica in 2009 with various instruments, and by 2011 they had a comprehensive network within 2.5 miles (4 kilometres) of the volcano`s summit. Of the 50 explosions that occurred, 35 had preceding quiet periods lasting 30 minutes or longer. 
 
Thirteen explosions were preceded by quiet intervals of at least five minutes. Only two of the 50 did not have any quiet period preceding the explosion.

&quot;It is the proverbial calm before the storm,&quot; remarked Roman. &quot;The icing on the cake is that we could also use these quiet periods to forecast the amount of energy released.&quot;

The research is published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 
 
(ANI)

This discovery could help predict volcanic activity and forecast the amount of energy to be released upon eruption

When it comes to volcanoes, silence can say a lot. A team of researchers has found that volcanoes go lull before they erupt - a finding that could give scientists a leg up on predicting blow-ups and saving lives. When dormant volcanoes are about to erupt, they show some predictive characteristics, but until now, there has not been a way to forecast eruptions of more restless volcanoes because of the constant seismic activity and gas and steam emissions. Carnegie volcanologist Diana Roman, working with a team of scientists from Penn State, Oxford University, the University of Iceland, and INETER, has shown that periods of seismic quiet occur immediately before eruptions, and can thus be used to forecast an impending eruption for restless volcanoes. The duration of the silence can indicate the level of energy that will be released when eruption occurs. Longer quiet periods mean a bigger bang. The team monitored a sequence of eruptions at the Telica Volcano in Nicaragua in 2011. It is a so-called stratovolcano, with a classic-looking cone built up by many layers of lava and ash. They started monitoring Telica in 2009 with various instruments, and by 2011 they had a comprehensive network within 2.5 miles (4 kilometres) of the volcano`s summit. Of the 50 explosions that occurred, 35 had preceding quiet periods lasting 30 minutes or longer. Thirteen explosions were preceded by quiet intervals of at least five minutes. Only two of the 50 did not have any quiet period preceding the explosion. "It is the proverbial calm before the storm," remarked Roman. "The icing on the cake is that we could also use these quiet periods to forecast the amount of energy released." The research is published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters. (ANI)

Volcanoes go silent before eruption

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