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Nature 431, 522-523 (30 September 2004) | doi:10.1038/431522b; Published online 29 September 2004

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Biogeochemistry:  Early options in photosynthesis

Nicolas Beukes1

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Reconstruction of an ancient marine environment from 3,400-million-year-old rocks in South Africa strengthens the case for the existence of photosynthetic microbes at that time — but adds a fresh twist.

Back in 1987, publication1 of analyses of ancient rocks in Western Australia provided some startling news — the claim, based on structures interpreted as microfossils, of the existence of life by the end of the early Archaean eon, 3,400 million years ago. Subsequent investigations2, however, led to the suggestion that the abundant organic material found in various rocks of that age had not been generated biologically but rather by abiotic reactions in hydrothermal systems.

  1. Nicolas Beukes is in the Department of Geology, Rand Afrikaans University, Auckland Park 2006, South Africa.
    e-mail: Email: njb@rau.ac.za

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