Stromatolites are the oldest known fossils, dating
back more than 3 billion years. They are colonial structures formed
by photosynthesizing cyannobacteria and other microbes. Stromatolites
are prokaryotes(primitive organisms lacking a cellular nucleus)
that thrived in warm aquatic environments and built reefs much
the same way as coral does today. Cyannobacteria were likely responsible
for the creation of earth's oxygen atmosphere. They were the dominant
lifeform on Earth for over 2 billion years. Today they are nearly
extinct, living a precarious existence in only a few localities
worldwide. |