There was Life on Earth 3,95 Billion Years Ago

A primitive form of life existed on Earth 3,95 billion years ago when our planet was subjected to intense bombing of comets and asteroids, according to the results of a study quoted by France press.

"In sedimentary rocks dating back 3.95 billion years ago, on the Labrador Peninsula in Canada, we found the earliest evidence of life on Earth," said one of the authors of the study, Tsuyoshi Komia, at the Tokyo University in Japan.

"At that time, the Earth, which was formed 4.56 billion years ago, was bombarded by comets."

For a year, the news of the exact date when Earth's life came to be change constantly and provokes fierce debates among scholars. In September 2016, scientists announced that in Greenland they found stromatolites - limestone structures formed by fossilized microorganisms - at 3.7 billion years. In March it was reported that fossilized microorganisms at 3.77 - 4.29 billion years were found in the rock formations of Nuwaagitui in Canada. This time, Japanese scientists conducted research in the northern part of the Labrador Peninsula, where the rocks are about 3.95 billion years old.

The isotopic composition of graphite grains (carbon) has been studied to see if it is of organic origin or not. Scientists have been wondering what is the ratio between carbon 13 and carbon 12. "To develop, organisms prefer light isotopes, such as carbon 12, to heavier ones such as carbon 13," said Komia. His team found that graphite grains had a significantly higher carbon content of 12. Scientists concluded that the "signature" of this graphite was biogenic and comes from living organisms. The results of the study are published in 'Nature' magazine.