Chinese scientists find new clue to origin of life on Earth in ‘string of pearls’ fossil from 800 million years ago
- Biological origin of unique fossils called Horodyskia has been long debated
- ‘Horodyskia was a living organism’, says Chinese co-lead of study that is a key step forward in understanding the early evolution of life on Earth
This class of unique fossils – named Horodyskia – features what looks like a string of pearls embedded in a rock face, thanks to uniformly sized and spaced beads forming an open chain.
The biological origin of the fossils, named after their original classifier – American geologist Robert Horodyski – has been debated since his discovery of the first such rock features over 40 years ago.
Some researchers believe these represent a biologically formed fossil, while others see them as nonliving rock deposits, to be classified as a pseudofossil.
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However, Horodyskia samples unearthed in China were revealed to contain organic matter following extensive tests in a recent study.