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Published online 7 June 2006 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news060605-7
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Complex ecosystems arrived early
Diversity of oldest fossils could mean extraterrestrial life is more likely.
Researchers studying rock formations shaped by the earliest life on Earth have found that they harboured a plethora of different microbes. The rocks, widely regarded as some of the oldest fossils, are evidence of a 'microbial reef' ecosystem of similar complexity to modern coral reefs, the scientists say.
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