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Eobacterium
''Eobacterium'' is an extinct genus of bacteria from the Fig Tree Formation The Fig Tree Formation, also called Fig Tree Group, is a stromatolite-containing geological formation in South Africa. The rock contains fossils of microscopic life forms of about 3.26 billion years old. Identified organisms include the bacteriu ... in Africa. It is about 3 billion years old, one of the oldest known organisms. The discovery of ''Eobacterium'' and other Fig Tree organisms in the 1960s helped prove that life existed over three billion years ago. References * K.N. Prasad: An Introduction to Paleobotany. * Prehistoric bacteria {{bacteria-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fig Tree Formation
The Fig Tree Formation, also called Fig Tree Group, is a stromatolite-containing geological formation in South Africa. The rock contains fossils of microorganisms, microscopic life forms of about 3.26 billion years old. Identified organisms include the bacteria, bacterium ''Eobacterium, Eobacterium isolatus'' and the algae-like ''Archaeosphaeroides, Archaeosphaeroides barbertonensis''. The fossils in the Fig Tree Formation are considered some of the oldest known organisms on Earth, and provide evidence that life may have existed much earlier than previously thought. The formation is composed of shales, Turbidite, turbiditic greywackes, volcaniclastic sandstones, chert, turbiditic siltstone, conglomerate (geology), conglomerate, breccias, mudstones, and iron-rich shales. See also * Archean life in the Barberton Greenstone Belt * Warrawoona Group References Further reading * * Byerly G.R., Lower D.R. & Walsh M.M. (1986). Stromatolites from the 3300–3500-Myr Swaziland ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bacteria
Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were among the first life forms to appear on Earth, and are present in most of its habitats. Bacteria inhabit soil, water, acidic hot springs, radioactive waste, and the deep biosphere of Earth's crust. Bacteria are vital in many stages of the nutrient cycle by recycling nutrients such as the fixation of nitrogen from the atmosphere. The nutrient cycle includes the decomposition of dead bodies; bacteria are responsible for the putrefaction stage in this process. In the biological communities surrounding hydrothermal vents and cold seeps, extremophile bacteria provide the nutrients needed to sustain life by converting dissolved compounds, such as hydrogen sulphide and methane, to energy. Bacteria also live in symbiotic and parasitic relationsh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
