Evidence for life on Earth before 3,800 million years ago
Abstract
It is unknown when life first appeared on Earth. The earliest known microfossils (approximately 3,500 Myr before present) are structurally complex, and if it is assumed that the associated organisms required a long time to develop this degree of complexity, then the existence of life much earlier than this can be argued. But the known examples of crustal rocks older than 3,500 Myr have experienced intense metamorphism, which would have obliterated any fragile microfossils contained therein. It is therefore necessary to search for geochemical evidence of past biotic activity that has been preserved within minerals that are resistant to metamorphism. Here we report ion-microprobe measurements of the carbon-isotope composition of carbonaceous inclusions within grains of apatite (basic calcium phosphate) from the oldest known sediment sequences--a approximately 3,800-Myr-old banded iron formation from the Isua supracrustal belt, West Greenland, and a similar formation from the nearby Akilia island that is possibly older than 3,850 Myr. The carbon in the carbonaceous inclusions is isotopically light, indicative of biological activity; no known abiotic process can explain the data. Unless some unknown abiotic process exists which is able both to create such isotopically light carbon and then selectively incorporate it into apatite grains, our results provide evidence for the emergence of life on Earth by at least 3,800 Myr before present.
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Isotopically ultralight carbon is reported in 3.8 Ga sediment carbon, suggesting the presence of the acetyl-CoA pathway without discriminating an acetogen or methanogen source.
“Isotopically ultralight carbon is also reported in 3.8 Ga sediment carbon [66, 67], which suggests the presence of the acetyl‐CoA pathway [68] without discriminating an acetogen or methanogen source.”
From Evidence for corrin biosynthesis in the last universal common ancestor (2025) · cites this paper as [67]
Isotope evidence suggests that the first forms of life existed at least 3.8 billion years ago because carbon with an isotope signature lighter than that of abiogenic reduced carbon appears in sediments of that age.
“Isotope evidence suggests that the first forms of life existed at least 3.8 billion years ago because carbon with an isotope signature lighter than that of abiogenic reduced carbon appears in sediments of that age (Mojzsis et al., 1996).”
From Serpentinization as the source of energy, electrons, organics, catalysts, nutrients and pH gradients for the origin of LUCA and life (2023) · cites this paper as Mojzsis et al., 1996
There is evidence that life on Earth was well established as early as 3.5 Ga and possibly as early as 3.8 Ga.
“There is evidence that life on Earth was well established as early as 3.5 Ga (Schopf, 1993; Wacey et al., 2011) and possibly as early as 3.8 Ga (Mojzsis et al., 1996).”
From The Astrobiology Primer v2.0 (2016) · cites this paper as Mojzsis et al., 1996
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- Authors
- Mojzsis, S. J., Arrhenius, G., McKeegan, K. D., Harrison, T. M., Nutman, A. P., & Friend, C. R. L.
- Affiliations
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography (US)
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- Australian National University (AU)
- Oxford Brookes University (GB)
- Venue
- Nature
- Published
- 1996-11-07
- Volume
- 384
- Issue
- 6604
- Pages
- 55-59
- ISSN
- 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
- 1476-4687
- OpenAlex
- W2017175357
- Cited by
- 1,370
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 25 · 2025: 26 · 2024: 43 · 2023: 36 · 2022: 34 · 2021: 55 · 2020: 49 · 2019: 61 · 2018: 58 · 2017: 33 · 2016: 65 · 2015: 37 · 2014: 45 · 2013: 57 · 2012: 49
- FWCI
- 43.45
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Update notices
- correction (1997-04-17)
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Nature (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- NASA Technical Reports Server (NASA) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Origins and Evolution of Life
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Geophysics › Geological and Geochemical Analysis
- Keywords
- origin of life, early Earth, carbon isotopes, carbonaceous inclusions, apatite, banded iron formations, Isua supracrustal belt, metamorphism, Archean
- MeSH terms
- Apatites, Carbon Isotopes, Carbonates, Time, Earth, Planet
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