3.5 billion-year-old 'horribly smelly' fossil

[Still Waters]

Scientists have revealed what they believe to be the oldest fossil ever discovered - belonging to foul-smelling, single-celled microbes that lived 3.5 billion years ago, and is a likely distant ancestor of human beings.

The minuscule remains were found inside a lump of sandstone rock in Western Australia by scientists from OId Dominium University in the US and are thought to be 300 million years older than the previous oldest example of life on Earth.

http://www.independe...th-8940031.html

[Grandpa Greenman]

3.5 billion would that be pre-oxygen?

[Skep B]

Digs up a beyond ancient fossil....first instinct is to sniff it?

weirdo

[seaturtlehorsesnake]

that's not weird. that's science

[Peter B]

3.5 billion would that be pre-oxygen?

Yes, by about a billion years.

[Peter B]

Digs up a beyond ancient fossil....first instinct is to sniff it?

weirdo

Given most people breathe through their noses, what choice would you have?

[spacecowboy342]

Given most people breathe through their noses, what choice would you have?

A taste test would seem the next step

[Chooky88]

Good old WA. Another claim to fame for my home state :-)

[Eldorado]

Good old WA. Another claim to fame for my home state :-)

Stinkiest place on Earth? (lol... only kiddin)

[Skep B]

Given most people breathe through their noses, what choice would you have?

I would assume digging a fossil thats been around for 3.5 billion years you'd have masks and whatnot on.

[highdesert50]

Interesting how we evolved from an odorous microbial mess and from this currently evolved state we eventually deteriorate back into an odorous microbial mess.

[Thelaw1]

Did we kill this one too?

jk

Pretty amazing considering it is 300 million years older than the second oldest. When did Earth begin to cool down? I think it was right around this period wasn't it?

[Chooky88]

Stinkiest place on Earth? (lol... only kiddin)

It has some stinky parts. Meekatharra for example!

[SameerPrehistorica]

How smellier it will be if this animal could able to release gas.

[spacecowboy342]

or my grandpa after he eats cabbage

[SameerPrehistorica]

or my grandpa after he eats cabbage

LOLLLLLLL

[ZaraKitty]

Of course the stinky fossil lives in Australia. Dammit, we got to get our act together and get some cool fossils.