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News and Views
Nature 425, 248-249 (18 September 2003) | doi:10.1038/425248a
Palaeobotany: Fishing for the first plants
Paul Kenrick1
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Abstract
Sifting of organic residues from ancient rocks has netted a catch of tiny fossils that provide clues about when plant life first appeared on land.
The significance of microscopic spores entombed in rocks dating from about 440–470 million years ago has puzzled investigators of early life. Are these spores proof that plant life existed on land long before the time suggested by other forms of fossil evidence?
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