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Combined structural and chemical analysis of 3,800-Myr-old microfossils

Abstract

CELL-like inclusions detected in the cherty layers of a quartzite, which is part of the Isua series in South-west Greenland, consist of biological materials, according to analyses by Raman laser molecular microprobe. The available radiometric data place the age of the sequence at around 3,800 Myr1. Thin sections of our specimens were taken in their primary positions within the rock matrix. The material used was compact and unweathered. No maceration, etching, impregnation or other methods were applied which might have produced artefacts.

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PFLUG, H., JAESCHKE-BOYER, H. Combined structural and chemical analysis of 3,800-Myr-old microfossils. Nature 280, 483–486 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1038/280483a0

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