The world’s oldest signs of life in Greenland
In the Isua Greenstone Belt some 150 km north-east of the Greenland's capital of Nuuk, scientists from the Australian University of Wollongong have discovered what they consider to be the world's oldest fossils – and oldest signs of life ever discovered. The fossils in the ancient rock layers are 3.7 billion years old and consist of 1-4-cm-high, conical structures – known as stromatolites – which were shaped by ancient micro-organisms. The fossils are no less than 220 million years older than the existing record holder of early life, which was discovered in Australia, indicating that life originated incredibly soon after the formation of Earth. However, several experts are sceptical of the discovery, stressing that it could be other types of natural formations.