• Question: how old is the oldest fossil

    Asked by malaika to Alexander, Josh, Serena, Simone, Stuart on 24 Jun 2013.
    • Photo: Serena Corr

      Serena Corr answered on 24 Jun 2013:

      Hi malaika

      I’ve had a look at this and it turns out that the oldest fossils are cyanobacteria, which were found in Australia and have been dated as 3.5 billion years old (that makes them almost as old as the oldest rocks, which are 3.8 billion years old!). They still exist today and live in water. The name they have is pretty interesting – it comes from their color. They have a blueish-green color because they contain a pigment called phycocyanin. They use this pigment to capture light for photosynthesis during which they produce oxygen and their own food.

Comments